Five thousand public trees in Laval at risk from EAB

editor robert

10 years ago

By Rhonda Massad
www.thesuburban.com

There are 5,000 public ash trees in the Laval area not including the private inventory of trees that are at risk due to the Emerald Ash Borer insect (EAB). In 2012, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the presence of EAB in the city.

According to media spokesperson for the city of Laval, Annie Thibodeau, the city has no plans to plant any new trees at this time as none have been felled to date.

She also explained, in an e-mail exchange with The Suburban, that as a preventive measure, 270 trees were treated with the bio-insecticide TreeAzin, ACE-CAP systemic tree implants and kairomone lures have been installed.

At this time there is no known cure for an infected tree but the inoculation, TreeAzin, is available for trees surrounding an infected tree. The treatment is injected straight into the tree bark rendering the toxic pesticide safe as it is contained within the bark. The process must be administered professionally and can cost up to $250 per tree per year.

The inoculation is not guaranteed to ward off the pest but it is the only preventative measure available at this time. According to the CFIA the presence of EAB has been confirmed in four areas in Quebec, and in 27 Ontario counties.

Although EAB does not pose a risk to human health, it is a highly destructive beetle. It has already killed millions of ash trees in Ontario, Quebec and the United States, and poses a major economic and environmental threat to urban and forested areas of North America.

Signs and Symptoms

Some typical signs that an Ash tree is infected with EAB is an increase in woodpecker activity, the tree canopy begins to die back in the upper third portion of the canopy and bark splitting.

The public can help control the spread of EAB by not moving potentially infested materials such as all species of firewood or any ash materials such as logs, branches, nursery stock, chips or other ash wood.

If you suspect the presence of the Emerald Ash Borer, contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency by calling 1-866-463-6017 or the City of Laval by dialing 3-1-1.