VAUDREUIL GETS TOUGH WITH EMERALD ASH BORER
City worker Christian Lanthier cuts down trees infested with the emerald ash borer on Bellini St, in the Grand Composer district, in Vaudreuil-Dorion last Thursday. With no natural predators, one in three trees has been infected in the new development by
Public works crews from VaudreuilDorion took aggressive action against the emerald ash borer on June 25, cutting down 150 trees that have been infected with the destructive beetle in a new development north of Highway 20.
The affected trees were in a relatively new development called les Compositeurs, where all the streets are named after composers, such as Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart and Vivaldi. The area is east of Route 342 and south of Cité-des-Jeunes Blvd.
In most cases where the emerald ash borer has been discovered, the mature trees can be treated with a bio-pesticide, said Ariane Leroux, coordinator of Vaudreuil-Dorion’s environment department.
This, however, was an extreme, localized case of infestation that affected 335 trees, some planted as recently as 2012 and 2013.
“This was a very special case. These were very small trees,” said Mayor Guy Pilon.
“We had a plan that required a (housing) developer to plant one tree per house, and the ash trees were the cheapest,” Pilon said. That bylaw has been amended, he added.
The emerald ash borer, native to Asia and Russia, is believed to have come to North America in shipping containers and pallets made of ash lumber.
The trees here have no resistance to the jewel-toned beetle. The first infestation of the emerald ash borer in Quebec was confirmed in 2008.
It’s the immature version of the EAB that does the most damage, while the beetles themselves nibble on the foliage.
According to the Canadian Food Inspection agency, “the larvae destroy the layer under the bark (the cambium) that is responsible for transporting nutrients and water throughout the tree.”
Young trees can die in one year, mature trees in two to three.
“The ash trees there (in the Vaudreuil development) were very young, less than five years,” Leroux said of the drastic action to cut down so many.
The town will cut down the remainder of the trees that are infested in the autumn.
For every tree that was or will be cut down, the town will be planting a new tree, to maintain the green canopy, Le- roux said.
But, said Pilon, they won’t be ash trees.
“We will plant a diversity of trees, all different kinds, so that if another infestation comes, we won’t have this same problem with one specific tree,” Leroux said.
Vaudreuil-Dorion will be negotiating with different nurseries to get the best price.
In the meantime, homeowners with ash trees on their property are advised to do inventory and report any infected specimens to the town.
Treating or cutting down badly in- fested trees is subsidized, in part, by the town.
A special “green line” has been established for information about identifying a diseased tree, and treatment options at 450-455-3371. Press No. 1 in the options.