Town begins treatment of municipal ash trees to protect against EAB

Wed, 11 Jun 2014

Look for green ribbons around town starting June 11

Beginning this week, ash trees around town will be showing their colours! Public ash trees on streets and in parks which continue to qualify for treatment are being injected with the bio insecticide TreeAzin® to protect them against the invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Select treated trees will be adorned with a green ribbon to raise public awareness of the treatment program.

“We are seeing remarkable success with the use of TreeAzin to save our trees,” Mayor Rob Burton said. “We are taking a proactive approach to creating a cleaner, greener Oakville and meeting our tree canopy goals.”

In total, the town is treating 75 per cent of the treatable municipal ash tree canopy on streets and in parks. TreeAzin® is a natural and safe bio-insecticide derived from the seeds of the neem tree, and provides up to two years of protection against EAB before it must be reapplied. This is the fourth cycle for some of the trees since the town began its treatment program in 2008. The town’s service provider, TruGreen, will be injecting the trees from now until the end of August.

“We have a very proud association with the Town of Oakville,” said Jim Mercer, president, TruGreen Canada. “The level of awareness within the town is very high and makes us genuinely pleased to be part of such a successful program.”

Part of the town’s EAB management program includes a public awareness campaign to educate residents about EAB and treatment and removal options of private trees.

“With 80 per cent of Oakville’s ash trees located on private property, it’s important for residents to make a decision now about the fate of their ash trees,” John McNeil, manager of Forestry Services said. “We’re encouraging residents to treat their trees or have dead and dying ash removed and replaced.”

EAB is infesting ash trees across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is responsible for killing tens of millions of ash trees in Canada and the United States since its discovery in North America in 2002. New information about the spread of EAB in Oakville is available on the town’s website, including a map illustrating the infestation levels throughout the town. The town’s forestry section recommends that residents have a qualified service provider assess their ash tree(s) to determine their best option.

Visit the Emerald Ash Borer page for more information.