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Index of Subjects This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0CFB_01CD252B.A5B20060 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi Chris & All, Apr 28, 2012 I agree Fritz, having a good excuse to terminate this program must = be a relief to informed CFIA management. It has been nearly 5 years = since Greg Cunningham effectively admitted that BSLB was essentiall = harmless; see following paste. Personally, I am relieved to see this arrant waste of public funds = terminated.=20 START OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\ Dear All, May 17, 2007 A recent article (Chron.Hrld.; May 16) on the Brown Spruce Longhorn = Beetle includes an explanation, attributed to Greg Cunningham, that =20 "The storm (Juan) created so much ground material that it gave the=20 beetle an ideal opportunity to multiply." So the admission has finally emerged indirectly that the BSLB can=20 not attack healthy trees. If it could do so then the Juan swath of=20 damaged trees would not have provided this "...ideal opportunity...". It takes a while sometimes. Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville END OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ If they cared to be devious, they could claim that due to prompt and = effective action by CFIA, the dangerous strain of BLSB was extirpated = and the remaining beetles are now harmless. But anyone, including members of the forestry community, who ever = supposed that BSLB was a genuine threat should take the time to learn = something about trees. This applies especially to Forest Entomologists = who, apparently, are not required to have at least a basic comprehension = of Tree Physiology and Soils. Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Christopher Majka=20 To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20 Sent: Friday, April 27, 2012 5:56 PM Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Beetles, forests, and climate change: = Exchanging old mistakes for new? Hi Fritz,=20 It's unlikely that this will save any face for the CFIA; rather the = opposite. As a knowledgeable colleague of mine, who occupies a high = position in the forest industry wrote me: If the whole program is being cut after so much time and money has = been spent, it=92s hard to see how the CFIA can regain any credibility = with the forestry community .... As far as I know, the CFIA have said nothing publicly about this issue = yet. They will surely not be pleased to have to make such a cut, but = politically it will be difficult for them to blame the government. All = such agencies keep having to maintain the illusion that nothing = essential is being lost through cuts (since saying otherwise is = politically dangerous), but then that gives the appearance that all the = BSLB work was non-essential (i.e., superfluous). ;~> Their options are: a) Declare victory and say nothing further remains to be done; or=20 b) Declare defeat and say that nothing further can be done. It's not going to be easy for them either way. Cheers! Chris On 25-Apr-12, at 8:40 PM, Fritz McEvoy wrote: Hi Chris and All, I wonder if this not only a cost cutting measure but also a face = saving way for the CFIA to get rid of a program (the Blown Spruce = Longhorn Beetle Risk Mitigation Program - BSLBRMP) that had become an = embarrassment to the agency because of all the bad press they had = received. By eliminating the program as part of a cost cutting exercise = they can just say their work was done and avoid all those pesky = questions as to why it was ever begun in the first place. All the best. Fritz McEvoy Sunrise Valley, CB -------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- From: c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca Subject: [NatureNS] Beetles, forests, and climate change: Exchanging = old mistakes for new? Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:36:23 -0300 Hi folks, Many sectors of Canadian society are still in shock, reeling from = the recent budget cutbacks announced by the federal government. One = agency hard hit is the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Thus far = concern has focused around food safety but the CBC has learned of = another cut to the Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle program.=20 In this case the CFIA never undertook the research, to establish = that this species was actually a pest. Consequently, there=92s no = evidence that biocontrol, containment, eradication, or quarantine = measures were ever warranted. However, climate change, may be a much = greater threat to spruce forests and the federal government policy is = undermining our capacity to investigate this, let alone act upon it. In the event that this subject is of interest, please feel free to = check my recent article: Beetles, forests, and climate change: Exchanging old mistakes for = new? = http://www.behindthenumbers.ca/2012/04/25/bettles-forests-and-climate-cha= nge-exchanging-old-mistakes-for-new/ Published today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. All the best, Christopher Majka -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1424 / Virus Database: 2411/4954 - Release Date: = 04/23/12 ------=_NextPart_000_0CFB_01CD252B.A5B20060 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Dwindows-1252" = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META name=3DGENERATOR content=3D"MSHTML 8.00.6001.19222"> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY=20 style=3D"WORD-WRAP: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space"=20 bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Hi Chris & All, = =20 = Apr=20 28, 2012</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2> I agree Fritz, having a good = excuse to=20 terminate this program must be a relief to informed CFIA management. It = has been=20 nearly 5 years since Greg Cunningham effectively admitted that BSLB was=20 essentiall harmless; see following paste.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2> Personally, I am relieved to see = this=20 arrant waste of public funds terminated. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>START OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\</FONT></DIV> <DIV>Dear = All, &