WHEREAS the pine beetle epidemic has created a situation where residential property owners safety is at risk with dead or dying pine trees left standing waiting to fall over; AND WHEREAS many residential property owners, including seniors and those on low or fixed incomes, cannot afford the cost of infested tree removal; AND WHEREAS municipalities do not have the resources to remove pine beetle trees from residential properties; AND WHEREAS owners of parcels of land smaller than 10 hectares have been excluded from the 40 million land rehabilitation initiative: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of British Columbia Municipalities lobby the provincial and federal governments to declare the pine beetle infestation in the province of BC a natural disaster and provide the needed financial assistance to municipalities and individual property owners to help eliminate the hazards associated with the pine beetle infestation.
