Cold Weather Might Help Mexico Fight Forest Plague The News
go to original January 22, 2013

Durango forestry experts are hoping for more sleet, snow and cold to help stop the bark beetle infestation spreading in what is called Mexico’s first forest reserve. Sixteen state municipalities spread over a 214,980 hectare (531,227 acre) area have suffered infestation.

National Association of Foresters President Raúl Barraza Armstrong said over the weekend that Durango’s forests are in a critical situation. The forest is a source of income for all state residents, he said, adding that the Association was working hard to eradicate the pests.

“We hope that with resources and with the support of the lord, sending us sleet, snow and cold, which would help us stop the plague from advancing and allow us to attack it faster (we will succeed).”

National Forestry Commission (Conafor) State Director Miguel Ángel Olayo González said that the insect is inactive during the colder months, making it the best time to fight the infestation.

According to forestry experts, the bark beetle can withstand temperatures of minus 14 degrees celsius (6.8 degrees fahrenheit).

State Natural Resources and Environmental Secretary (SRNMA) Jesús Soto Rodríguez said that the secretariat is looking for new ways to flight the plague and he stressed the importance of making progress before warmer weather arrives.

Federal and state authorities signed a collaborative agreement with forest landowners to combat the problem: Authorities have contributed 38.24 million pesos ($3.01 million), and landowners will contribute 45 million pesos.

Approximately 140 forestry specialists and helpers are fighting the plague, and 3,000 locals have been hired to work in the field to combat it head on, providing jobs to community members.

Insecticides have been ineffective in combatting the plague, secretary Soto Rodríguez said, adding that the SRNMA has been looking for alternatives and hopes to find an environmentally friendly insecticide in the future.

Federal Natural Resources and Environmental Secretariat (Semarnat) delegate Hugo Flores Peters agreed with Soto Rodríguez, saying that advances must be made before the onset of warmer weather and forest fire season, which create the ideal conditions for bark beetle reproduction.

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