Public invited to session on management of Emerald Ash Borer

The City of Cornwall is seeking input from residents on a proposed management plan to deal with the effects of the Emerald Ash Borer.
Urban Forest Innovations has developed a draft Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Management Plan to deal with the potential effects caused by EAB on the 3,500-plus ash trees located in parks, road rights-of-way and other City-owned properties. Members of the public are welcome to attend a public information session on Tuesday, December 10th at 7 pm in Salon B of the Cornwall Civic Complex. During this session, officials will provide an overview of some of the management strategies being considered and seek input from the public. The input will be considered in finalizing the Management Plan, which will be presented to City Council early next year.

“The arrival of EAB poses a major threat to a big part of our tree population, and it will require a significant amount of time and financial resources to manage and address it properly,” said Christine Lefebvre, Division Manager, Parks & Recreation. “There are a number of different scenarios to consider, and we want the public to help us create the best solution for Cornwall.”

EAB is an invasive wood-boring beetle which threatens billions of ash trees across North America, and its presence was detected in Cornwall earlier this year. In a worst-case scenario, it’s expected that virtually all untreated ash trees will likely be killed within 15 years as a result of the EAB.

The impacts of such a loss in tree population would be far-reaching. Some of the potential effects include increased storm water runoff, reduced air quality and a decline in neighbourhood aesthetics and property values, among other things. EAB does not pose a direct risk to human health.

“The question at this point isn’t whether we will lose ash trees, but when, and how many,” said Mrs. Lefebvre. “This Management Plan will address issues such as monitoring, treatment, tree removal and tree replacement.”
Cornwall Media Release 2

The City of Cornwall has been preparing for the arrival of the emerald ash borer in the community for some time now. Parks and Recreation staff has been monitoring the situation closely while also working with federal, provincial and regional representatives to raise awareness about the threat posed by this invasive species.

In addition, the City engaged the services of Urban Forest Innovations to develop the EAB Management Plan to provide a long-term course of action. As part of that work, a detailed inventory has been created to record the location and condition of most ash trees on City-owned property. This digital inventory will be used in the years ahead to monitor the condition of ash trees and the overall spread of EAB.

All interested members of the public are welcome to attend the information session on December 10th.

For more info on EAB, please visit the Environment section of the City website (www.Cornwall.ca).