The spatial extent of the current mountain pine beetle epidemic in western Canada has highlighted the need to understand the efficacy of treatment strategies. We investigate the effect of five direct-control treatments applied in central British Columbia during a mountain pine beetle epidemic. Using point data from GPS helicopter surveys and kernel density estimators, efficacy was explored through comparisons of infestation intensities at treated locations to randomly selected untreated sites. Small patch and block harvesting treatments showed the clearest signs of reducing infestation intensity; the effects of the fell and burn, monosodium methanearsonate, and pheromone-baited tree treatments were less clear. Through this work, five management guidelines were developed: (1) aggressive treatments can be effective when beetle populations are moderate, although still epidemic; (2) single-tree treatments are only effective when infestation intensities are low or moderate in both the treatment area and surrounding regions; (3) singletree treatments are the most effective when treatments are intensively applied; (4) overall, the more infested trees removed during treatment, the greater the reduction in infestation intensity; and (5) when it is possible to reduce the infestation levels to 2.5 or fewer infested trees per hectare, treatments can be effectively applied.

Four adaptive forest management case studies from British Columbia, Canada, show an interesting diversity in the approach and provide an excellent source of "lessons learned." Included are: the Coast Forest Strategy, the Forest and Range Evaluation Program, the Pine-Lichen Woodlands and Northern Caribou Adaptive Management Project, and the Ospika Mountain Goat Trial. Practitioners revealed the demands faced in their adaptive management projects and shared their insights and advice about implementing these projects. Common themes included leadership, partnerships, "closing the loop" to management, and organizational commitment and resources.