Beetles, trees, and people: Regional economic impact sensitivity and policy considerations related to the mountain pine beetle infestation in British Columbia, Canada

This article investigates the regional economic impact sensitivity to the current mountain pine beetle infestation in five study areas of British Columbia, Canada, using a computable general equilibrium framework. Baseline general equilibrium economic databases are constructed for each region using a hybrid data collection approach involving primary and secondary sources. A computable general equilibrium model is constructed for each region and used to simulate the sensitivity of a suite of economic indicators to changes in forestry sector exports resulting from the impacts of mountain pine beetle on the available timber supply. The computable general equilibrium models constructed for each region provides an indication of economic vulnerability to the infestation and can assist decision-makers with the identification of policy considerations and priority areas for mitigation planning in response to the anticipated fluctuations in timber supply.