EDMONTON, Alta. — In an effort to keep B.C.’s voracious mountain pine beetles from infesting Alberta’s forests, the province has banned the transportation of pine logs from infested areas.

The ministerial order was put into place June 14 and will be enforced until Sept. 30 to coincide with the life cycle of the pest.

The ban was implemented shortly after a transportation officer with Alberta Transportation discovered a shipment of rough-sawed lumber that was infested with pine beetles near Hinton, Alta.

Alberta Transportation says its officers will be extremely vigilant while enforcing the order and will return all truckloads of possibly infected logs and forest products with bark to their place of origin.

The department says it will work closely with trucking companies to ensure the mountain pine beetle doesn’t infect vulnerable areas along transportation corridors. The pine beetle has ravaged more than 70 million cubic metres of pine timber in B.C. over the past two years.