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Wildlife Ecotoxicology pp 239–265Cite as

Toxic Trees: Arsenic Pesticides, Woodpeckers, and the Mountain Pine Beetle

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Part of the book series: Emerging Topics in Ecotoxicology ((ETEP,volume 3))

Abstract

During the mid-1990s, an unprecedented outbreak of the Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) in the economically valuable pine forests of British Columbia triggered a major campaign by forest managers to try and control the beetle damage. The result was a major change in the landscape from harvesting and prescribed burns in addition to the wide scale application of a systemic insecticide known as monosodium methanearsonate (MSMA). Since MSMA contains arsenic, is highly stable, and was being applied in increasingly large quantities, our study evaluated the potential impacts to forest birds, particularly woodpeckers. From 2002 to 2006, we investigated the exposure of breeding woodpeckers to MSMA ingested via contaminated bark beetles. We measured high levels of arsenic in beetles from treated trees, and found that significant amounts of debarking on many MSMA-treated trees indicating woodpeckers were feeding on them. Radio-telemetry confirmed that woodpeckers breeding near MSMA treatments regularly used those stands. Blood samples of woodpeckers and other forest birds revealed elevated arsenic concentrations. Through a concurrent laboratory dosing study of Zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), we estimated that woodpeckers were receiving enough MSMA through ingestion of contaminated beetles to cause poorer growth and mortality of young birds and mass loss in adults. We concluded that the combination of extensive harvesting in the region in combination with the large numbers of treated MSMA trees was potentially detrimental to forest bird populations. By the end of our study, MSMA approval for use in Canada was revoked and the Ministry of Forests did not pursue re-registration of MSMA. We clearly demonstrated that large-scale MSMA use had the potential to cause serious harm to forest birds, while appearing to have limited efficacy in beetle control. This was a landmark study in the field of wildlife ecotoxicology – a first to evaluate the exposure and effects of a toxic chemical to woodpeckers in forest ecosystems.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is responsible for pesticide regulation in Canada. Pesticides are stringently regulated in Canada to ensure they pose ­minimal risk to human health and the environment. Under authority of the Pest Control Products Act, Health Canada: (1) registers pesticides after a stringent, science-based evaluation that ensures any risks are acceptable; (2) re-evaluates the pesticides currently on the ­market on a 15-year cycle to ensure the products meet current scientific standards; and (3) promotes sustainable pest management. Information supplied by PMRA website available at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/branch-dirgen/pmra-arla/index-eng.php.

  2. 2.

    “Poisoned bark worse than beetles’ bite?” The Globe and Mail News, December 21, 2004.

  3. 3.

    Various personal communications from PMRA officials, and BC Ministry of Environment, Pesticide Administrator, D. Cronin to J. Elliott. See also ES&T Science News, February 5, 2005 concerning manufacturer, United Agri Products Canada Inc.

  4. 4.

    Comment by Doug Konklin, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Forests in Times Colonist (Victoria), January 11, 2005.

  5. 5.

    The Ministry of Environment now administers the British Columbia Integrated Pest Management Act and Regulations, which regulates the sale, use and handling of pesticides in the province and supports an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to managing pests. The IPM approach involves a science-based process including prevention through good ­ecosystem and crop practices, identification and monitoring of the pest problem, combining a range of control followed by regular evaluation of the effectiveness of the treatments.

  6. 6.

    Letters from Christine Houghton to L. MacLauchlan, Forest Entomologist, Southern Interior Forest Region, and to B. Doerksen, Compliance and Enforcement Field Operations Supervisor, Prince George Forest District, sent August 31, 2005.

  7. 7.

    Ministry of Forests and Range set up a website giving details of the MSMA policy, information on toxicity, maps of treatment areas and other related information for the public available at http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/health/MSMA.htm.

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Acknowledgments

We are indebted to a previous generation of Canadian Wildlife Service ­biologists, who studied the problems of forest insecticide use and effects on birds, principally, Dan Busby, Neville Garrity, Peter Pearce, and David Peakall. Pierre Mineau, who researched the effects of pesticides on wildlife for many years, first raised the potential issue of MSMA at meetings of the Wildlife Toxicology Division. The following people made important contributions to the ­project namely Patti Dods, Courtney Albert, Tony Williams, Bill Cullen, and Vivian Lai. We thank field and laboratory research assistants Alicia Newbury, Mark Wong, Sandi Lee, Sheila Carroll, Tracy Sutherland, and Jason Berge. We also thank the many personnel at the Ministry of Forests and Range (Merritt office) and several timber operators (BCTS, Tolko and Weyerhauser), who gave advice and assistance on the logistical aspects of the project. John Borden, Kathy Martin, Josette Wier, and Judy Strachan also offered helpful insight into the research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada

    Christy A. Morrissey

  2. Environment Canada, Science and Technology Branch, Pacific Wildlife Research Centre, Delta, BC, V4K 3N2, Canada

    John E. Elliott

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  1. Christy A. Morrissey
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Correspondence to Christy A. Morrissey .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Pacific Wildlife Research Centre, Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada, 5421 Robertson Road, Delta, V4K 3N2, British Columbia, Canada

    John E. Elliott

  2. Pacific Wildlife Research Centre, Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada, 5421 Robertson Road, Delta, V4K 3N2, British Columbia, Canada

    Christine A. Bishop

  3. Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, S7N 5E2, Saskatchewan, Canada

    Christy A. Morrissey

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Morrissey, C.A., Elliott, J.E. (2011). Toxic Trees: Arsenic Pesticides, Woodpeckers, and the Mountain Pine Beetle. In: Elliott, J., Bishop, C., Morrissey, C. (eds) Wildlife Ecotoxicology. Emerging Topics in Ecotoxicology, vol 3. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-89432-4_8

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