Review Aftermath of Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak in British Columbia: Stand Dynamics, Management Response and Ecosystem Resilience Amalesh Dhar 1,*,†, Lael Parrott 1 and Christopher D.B. Hawkins 2 1 Okanagan Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services (BRAES), University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada;
[email protected] 2 Yukon Research Centre, Whitehorse, YK Y1A 5K4, Canada;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +1-780-492-6538; Fax: +1-780-492-4323 † Present address: Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 847 General Services Bldg, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, Canada. Academic Editors: Jarmo K. Holopainen and Timothy A. Martin Received: 9 June 2016; Accepted: 2 August 2016; Published: 5 August 2016 Abstract: The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) (MPB) has infested and killed millions of hectares of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm) forests in British Columbia, Canada, over the past decade. It is now spreading out of its native range into the Canadian boreal forest, with unknown social, economic and ecological consequences. This review explores the ramifications of the MPB epidemic with respect to mid-term timber supply, forest growth, structure and composition, vegetation diversity, forest fire, climate change, and ecosystem resilience. Research confirms that, in British Columbia, all of these variables are more significantly impacted when salvage logging is used as management response to the outbreak. We conclude that appropriate management in response to MPB is essential to ensuring ecologically resilient future forests and reliable mid-term timber supplies for affected human communities. We highlight knowledge gaps and avenues for research to advance our understanding in support of sustainable post-disturbance forest management policies in British Columbia and elsewhere.