Alberta's winter was just too mild for the mountain pine beetle, and with the little insect still devastating the provinces forests, crews are being forced to cut and burn hundreds of infested trees.
Forestry crews are using GPS navigation to guide their helicopters in and around the grassy lake area of Canmore. The helicopter removes about 250 trees infested with the pine beetle in one day and moves them to a location where they will be burned.
"If the beetles are exposed to the elements at this point, if you peel the bark away, you do kill them," said Forest Health Officer Christie Ward. "They can't survive and develop into adults if you expose them now."
Extended periods of cold weather can kill the beetles, but according to Ward about 97 per cent of the beetles need to be killed for the population to stay static; she estimates only 50 per cent died this winter.
In addition to helicopter removal, the province is also implementing a new system where a chipper is slung underneath a helicopter to chip trees on the spot.
"We started developing (it) two years ago. It still needs some work, but it works well in some applications," said Blair Sabege from Valhalla Helicopters.
The new tool will be put into action along Highway 40 near Kananaskis at the end of March.
With files from Kevin Fleming
