Getting ready for the battle against beetle

Rubber and Wood  |  2013-04-05 01:24:21   |   By

Kitchener and Ontario are gearing up for the battle against the attacks on its forest wealth by Emerald ash borer-a category of beetle from Asia

HAMILTON (Scrap Monster) : Kitchener and Ontario are gearing up for the battle against the attacks on its forest wealth by Emerald ash borer-a category of beetle from Asia.

Ash trees along the Kitchener streets are either cut off or are injected with pesticides. It is reported that City workers cut down nearly 600 ash trees along the streets last week. The highly destructive beetle was first spotted in Kitchener in 2010. The damages caused by the beetle are enormous and the losses are too big. There are about 4,500 ash trees along city streets and another 2,000 or so in parks. It is predicted that the ash borer beetle might destroy 80% of the ash trees in five years time.

The city has devised a master plan to replace the ones cut down. Kitchener will spend $430,000 to cut down and remove ash trees this year. An almost equal sum of money will be spent towards planting new trees. The city plans to spend $11 million to counter the effects caused by beetle attacks. It has already set aside $4.3 million for removal of ash trees and pesticide treatment for the remaining. Another $6.7 million will be spent over a span of 10 years.

The city of Waterloo has also devised its own strategies in fighting the attacks. The ash borer attack has been around for almost five years now. The city has set aside huge sums of money, mainly towards planting new trees. The city is planting around 3000 trees per year.

London plans to spend around $400,000 this year. The city which has around 10,000 ash trees was first detected with ash bore beetle way back in 2006.

 Burlington estimates to spending to exceed $10 million during the next 10 years, Brampton $22 million, Hamilton $37 million, Mississauga $51 and Richmond Hill $12.5 million.

Meanwhile reports say that billions of mountain pine beetles from B.C. are expected to devastate forest wealth in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime provinces over the next two decades.