Emerald Ash Borer – Oshawa boulevard trees’ greatest enemy
Published August 12, 2021 at 6:55 pm
Oshawa’s boulevard tree ‘canopy’ has been hit hard by the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive insect with a voracious appetite for trees – especially of the Ash variety – and the City is working with forestry contractors to monitor and, if required, eliminate the trees before the bugs can send them crashing to the ground.
Residents may see forestry contractors in their neighbourhood removing ash trees that are impacted by the insect, a practice that has been going on in Oshawa for the last 10 years.
Contractors and trained staff have been inspecting and maintaining 150 different types of trees throughout the city, but it’s the boulevard trees that have been most affected, according to a staff report.
Once an infested ash tree in a park or on a City boulevard is removed, it will be replaced by a new species of tree in the next calendar year. The replacement tree species is chosen based on the previous tree function, the intended location and soil conditions.
Residents with ash trees on their property are responsible for managing their trees and if concerned should consider hiring a certified arborist to discuss options.
The insect was first introduced to Canada in 2002 and causes 90 per cent mortality of ash trees within 10 years of detection.
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For more information, visit Oshawa.ca/EAB or call the Invading Species Hotline at 1-800-563-7711.
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