Confederation Park ash trees to be removed due to borer damage

Confederation Park will have 66 dead or dying ash trees removed over the next several weeks as devastation from the emerald ash borer continues across the city.

More than 12,000 ash trees have been removed from city-owned properties since 2012 with another 11,000 scheduled to be removed over the next six years.

The trees in Confederation Park are beside the Hamilton Waterfront Trail — called the Breezeway Trail in the park — and are all at least 80 per cent dead due to the ash borer infestation, a statement from the city and Hamilton Conservation Authority said.

The park is owned by the city but managed by the conservation authority.

A spokesperson for the city said there will still be numerous ash trees remaining in the park after the cull — for now — but she could not say how many.

Each ash tree removed will be replaced with a “new species of tree to help replace and diversify Hamilton’s urban forest,” the statement said.

The ash borer, native to China and eastern Asia, has killed millions of trees in the North America. The insect is able to attack and kill all native ash species.