Emerald ash borer confirmed in Sherbrooke
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the presence of emerald ash borer in the city of Sherbrooke. These findings were outside of the current regulated area, which includes the MRCS of southwest Quebec, from Pontiac to Acton, and all of southern Ontario.
Effective immediately, the movement of all ash material such as logs, branches, and woodchips, and all species of firewood from the affected sites, is restricted. Property owners in the affected areas have been notified of these restrictions. The regulated area will be expanded by the end of 2017, after the CFIA completes its survey work.
Although the emerald ash borer poses no threat to human health, it is highly destructive to ash trees. It has already killed millions of trees in Ontario, Quebec and the United States, and poses a major economic and environmental threat to urban and forested areas of North America. The CFIA continues to work with federal, provincial, and municipal governments to slow the spread of this pest.
The emerald ash borer is native to China and eastern Asia. Its presence in Canada was first confirmed in 2002. It is present only in certain areas of Ontario and Quebec and is regulated by the CFIA to protect Canada's forests and nurseries. Moving untreated firewood is a common way for invasive insects and diseases to spread.
In Sherbrooke, municipal arboriculture teams were called by a citizen of the Rock-forest-st-élie-deauville borough to examine the state of an ash tree on private land. The tree showed obvious signs of the presence of the emerald ash borer under the bark. Following the subsequent report, the CFIA confirmed the infestation with the insect already present in several regions of Quebec. The City of Sherbrooke has been preparing for nearly three years for the imminent arrival of the bug and citizens already have access to a wealth of information on the subject at sherbrooke.ca/agrile. The city’s action plan will now be implemented.
The first appearance of the insect was confirmed on Cayer St. and in the Antonio-barette Park in Rock-forest-st-éliedeauville and an unknown number of ash trees has already been affected, both on public land and on private land. "We have already listed the ash trees that belong to the City. It is now important to know about the presence and location of ash trees on private land," says Yves Tremblay, Manager of the Parks and Greenspace Division. To assist in this process, citizens can go directly to the interactive map at cartes.ville.sherbrooke.qc.ca/agriledufrene and complete the online form. A tutorial explains how the interactive map works. At a glance, it will be easier to pinpoint every ash on the territory.
"For now, the presence of confirmed emerald ash borer presence has been concentrated in the Rock Forest area. To try to stop its spread and save the trees through bio-pesticide treatment, the cooperation of the population will be required. The insect spreads naturally within a 10-kilometer radius, and even faster through moving wood from one place to another," Tremblay said.
A series of criteria have been identified for the treatment or killing of affected trees. Before going further, the municipal council will have to adopt an amendment to the general by-law in order to authorize the planned measures.
"The emerald ash borer is in hibernation,” Tremblay concluded. “The Ville de Sherbrooke action plan is now applicable for the gathering of information and the other actions will be carried out by the spring of 2018."
The public is invited to fill in the form at cartes.ville.sherbrooke.qc.ca/agriledufrene to give the the location of an ash tree. Citizens can also send their questions to the email address agrile@ville.sherbrooke.qc.ca and visit sherbrooke.ca/agrile to find out more about this insect.
Finally, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency also suggests learning more about the risks of transporting firewood by visiting www.inspection.gc.ca/plants/forestry/do n-t-move-firewood/eng.