Residents in and around Williams Lake area will soon see and hear helicopters in the air as the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations implements its treatment plan to minimize the spread of Douglas-fir bark beetles on Crown land.
The plan is to selectivly heli-log areas where populations of Douglas-fir beetles are currently higher than normal.
As part of the Williams Lake Beetle Management Treatment Plan, helicopter harvesting will be used on steep slopes in the Williams Lake area to remove trees infested with the beetles and prevent damage to healthy trees nearby.
Flying may begin this week in two areas, near the Williams Lake Stockyards and above Mile 168 Road near Commodore Heights.
When the work there is completed, helicopter operations will move to the Hodgson Road, Esler and South Lakeside areas and wrap up by Feb. 15, 2017.
The choppers will only be in the air during daylight hours and will not be flying on the stat holidays.