Tree replacements promised as Town ravaged by emerald ash borer

Written By MARNI WALSH

Coun. Walter Bennotto told the Free Press, recent residential tree removals in Shelburne are the work of a destructive bug known as the emerald ash borer. 

“This is a huge problem through Southern Ontario,” Coun. Benotto said.

Jim Moss, Director of Development and Operations for Shelburne says, “As is the same with all municipalities in central and southern Ontario, the Town has been finding infestations of the emerald ash borer in the Town's boulevard ash trees over the last few years.”

He added, “The emerald ash borer is an invasive species of beetle native to northeast Asia that has made its way to North America. The ash borer, as the name suggests, favours ash trees and lays it larvae in the tree which then begin to feed on under the bark over the next couple of years before becoming full grown and emerging from the damaged tree.”

It is this feeding that leaves the tree riddled with holes and slowly dying off, says Mr. Moss He noted this is usually noticed by the top of the tree dying first. 

Unfortunately, Jim Moss says the only way to contain the spread of the ash borer is to cut down the damaged and infested tree and dispose of all wood and chips to stop further spreading of the bug.

 Mr. Moss explained that the Town has been “inspecting and removing infected ash trees over the past three years through its  Public Works maintenance budget, as we do with other trees that pose a hazard, in an attempt to stop the progress of the borer.”

 He continued, “The Town realizes that the cutting and removal of trees is a very sensitive topic to the public and this is why only trees that are a hazard, a visual obstruction for traffic, or infectious are cut,” he says. “Usually the initial change in health of the tree is noticed by a homeowner close to the infected tree,” he says. 

“This was the case in the last couple of weeks on Franklin Street in the south end of Town when a resident reported three dying trees.”

Mr. Moss went on to say notices were hand delivered to the homes in the proximity of the first infected trees and they were quickly cut and removed. This was when Town staff noticed an additional eight infected trees and removed them at the same time.

According to the Town's boulevard tree replacement program, Jim Moss says the Town will “plant two trees for each tree removed wherever spacing constraints allow.” 

He says funding will be reassessed for the 2020 budget, but currently the program is approved for $16,500 for tree installation and $5,000 a year moving forward. He says tree stumps will be bored out and replaced later this year with a variety of tree species other than ash.