Helicopter logging operations currently underway in the Williams Lake area are being expanded to manage Douglas fir beetles.
The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development says the two new locations include North Lakeside in steep terrain on Fox Mountain and the Slater Mountain area west of Williams Lake.
Helicopter flights in these additional areas will likely begin as early as this Monday.
Helicopter logging operations have been underway for the past 4 weeks in the Esler area, the South Lakeside area, and a site further south off Anderson Road.
“Douglas fir beetle populations are higher than normal in some parts of the Cariboo, but helicopter logging (used to selectively remove infested trees and protect other trees nearby) and related containment treatments have helped slow the spread of the beetles around Williams Lake,” the Ministry said in a news release.
“This is the third straight year that heli-logging has been used in the area to decrease their numbers.”
The heli-logging project is expected to be completed by mid-March.