Geerts said most ash trees would be doomed if the ash borer arrives in the city. But he noted that there is a pesticide available to save any significant ash trees. [Usage: Emergency Registration Only Until August 2011]
“It costs a couple hundred dollars per tree every two years, so it’s cost prohibitive to try to save every tree,” he said. “But you could try to save some historic trees.”
“In Windsor, they have lost all of their ash trees already,” Geerts said. “Once it arrives, it’s a matter of just eight to 10 years before they are gone.”
Published: Sun, 27 Mar 2011 by Jason Teakle
| Controlling the ash borer | |
|
A green beetle measuring a half an inch long could wipe out 90,000 ash trees in Brantford during the next several years. "It's very bad," said Brian Geerts, urban forester with the City of Brantford. "Now, all of Brantford and the County of Brant are regulated for the movement of all ash tress, ash wood and all firewood." The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Friday announced a ministerial order to establish four regulated areas to control the emerald ash borer in Ontario and Quebec. The city and county are included in a regulated area. The emerald ash borer was confirmed in Brantford last year. Geerts said the pest could wipe out seven per cent of all trees in the city. "The emerald ash borer was brought here in the first place because of improper movement of firewood," he said. The emerald ash borer has already killed millions of ash trees in southwestern Ontario and "poses a major economic and environmental threat to urban and forested areas," according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Geerts said there is a pesticide made to control the beetle, but it is expensive and impractical to use on a widespread basis. "A homeowner that wants to save a couple of trees could benefit from using it," he said. Virtually all of southern Ontario is now a regulated area, along with the City of Ottawa and the united counties of Leeds and Grenville in eastern Ontario. Further north, Sault Ste. Marie and a few municipalities in Quebec have also been named as regulated areas. People who move firewood or ash wood materials out of regulated areas can face fines or prosecution. More information about the emerald ash borer and regulated areas can be found online at www.inspection.gc.ca/pests.
|
http://www.brantnews.com/news/worries-over-ash-borer/
http://www.brantnews.com/news.cfm?page=news§ion=read&articleId=10186
http://www.brantnews.com/news.cfm?page=news§ion=read&articleId=8122
