Forestry and insects

If you introduce a foreign species to a new environment, even by accident, it can wreak havoc on the ecosystem. On this episode, we talk to a scientist who has been dealing with one of these foreign species, the Asian longhorned beetle. This insect is black and white, about the same length as your thumb, and likes to get around by hitching rides on your car!

The greenhouse is hot and humid under the summer sun on Vancouver Island as Canadian Forestry Centre (CFS) scientist Mike Cruickshank carefully tends to more than 2,000 Douglas-fir seedlings. His goal: to see that each and every one of them makes it through the summer of COVID-19, and beyond.

Forests provide us with an array of social, economic and environmental benefits, which is why we need to ensure that they stay healthy. Things like natural disasters, pests and resource extractions can pose a problem. On this episode, we talk to a scientist who is working with industry, academia, Indigenous communities and various levels of government to reclaim and restore damaged forest landscapes.

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) scientists literally have their hands full as they search all corners of Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) to learn more about the beetles crawling through its forests.