Protect Our Ash Trees!

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a highly destructive insect which kills ash trees. There are currently four regulated areas in Southwestern Ontario for EAB. Elgin, Lambton and Middlesex counties are regulated separately. Essex County and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, which were separately regulated in 2004, were combined into one regulated area in June 2006.

Regulated materials can be freely moved within a regulated area, but cannot be moved outside of a regulated area without prior written permission from the CFIA. Anyone violating this requirement may be subject to a fine and/or be liable for prosecution.

Some properties within Lambton, Elgin and Middlesex Counties are also under specific quarantine measures. Those property owners have been notified that they cannot remove regulated materials from their properties without CFIA permission.

Regulated materials for EAB include nursery stock, trees, logs, wood, rough lumber including pallets and other wood packaging materials, bark, wood chips or bark chips from ash (Fraxinus species), and firewood of all tree species.

There are currently five regions in Southwestern Ontario that are designated as regulated areas for EAB under four separate Ministerial Orders:

The County of Essex and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent Emerald Ash Borer Infested Places Declaration and Order identifies the area encompassing the County of Essex and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent as being a regulated quarantine area.
The County of Elgin Emerald Ash Borer Infested Places Declaration and Order identifies Elgin County as being a regulated quarantine area.
The County of Lambton Emerald Ash Borer Infested Places Declaration and Order identifies Lambton County as being a regulated quarantine area.
The County of Middlesex Emerald Ash Borer Infested Places Declaration and Order identifies Middlesex County as being a regulated quarantine area.

The Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus planipennis, is an introduced wood boring beetle native to China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Russia and Taiwan. This pest was found for the first time in North America in the summer of 2002 in Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan.

Information on the Emerald Ash Borer (pdf files):
- Fact Sheet
- Firewood

For more information on the Emerald Ash Borer, visit the Canadian Food Inspection Agency web site.

In North America, the emerald ash borer has been found to attack and kill various species of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) and it is likely that all North American species of ash, as well as exotic species, are susceptible to emerald ash borer. The mountain ash (Sorbus spp.) is not related to true ashes and is not attacked by the emerald ash borer.

The larval stage of the emerald ash borer damages and kills ash trees. During their feeding, larvae create S-shaped tunnels in the inner bark which eventually stop the flow of water and nutrients inside the tree's vascular system, resulting in the eventual death of the host tree. Trees typically die in 2 to 3 years, but heavily infested trees can die after one year.

Ash trees (genus Fraxinus) are very important species in both Canada and the eastern US and are major components of both natural and urban forests. They are commonly found on city streets, wood lots, windbreaks and forests from Saskatchewan to Newfoundland and Labrador. Furthermore, ash trees are of economic importance to Canada. Hardwood forest production is valued at $1.4 billion annually in Canada and ash trees are an important component of this. Ash forest products are used for a variety of purposes, including flooring, furniture, tools, sports equipment (e.g., hockey sticks, baseball bats), and native handicrafts such as baskets. Damage to ash wood, such as that caused by the larval stage of emerald ash borer, affects its value and the potential for its use in manufacturing. Ash trees are also a major component of nursery stock sales valued at about $500 million annually, and it is believed that nursery stock is also at risk from the emerald ash borer and may also serve to spread this pest to currently uninfested areas.

All species of ash are extremely important from an environmental perspective. They are home to numerous animals and birds and are integral to the health of soils and watersheds. The loss of ash trees from urban and parkland forests would reduce or eliminate food and shelter sources for wildlife, decrease biodiversity and seriously disturb the overall ecology of Canadian forests. In addition, blue ash and pumpkin ash, which are already considered rare or vulnerable species, are native to that part of Ontario currently infested with the emerald ash borer and would be amongst the species most affected by this pest.

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency

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