When you drive around your neighbourhood in the winter things look very different from the spring and summer. The ground is covered in snow, the ponds are iced over, many animals are hibernating, and the trees are bare. It is hard to imagine that in a few months everything will be teeming with life again and when you see those bare, leafless trees you can easily mistake them for dead, lifeless trees. But most bare trees are not dead, they are dormant.
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The dangers of emerald ash borer (EAB) are well known by now and the government, local municipalities, and homeowners are all doing their bit to curb the spread of this insidious little creature and save as many of the country’s ash trees as possible. Sadly, ash trees that are not treated against the jade green beetle from Northeast Asia die within five to ten years of the emerald ash borer being detected in an area. Part of the problem for municipalities and property owners is what to with all the dead trees that EAB leaves in its wake.
The emerald ash borer has invaded Canada and it’s not going away anytime soon. This jade green jewel beetle is native to northeast Asia and since its arrival in North America in the 90’s,has been feasting on our local ash trees. In northeast Asia, the emerald ash borer doesn’t do significant damage to the indigenous trees but with no natural predators in Canada, this little bug is rapidly destroying our native ash forests.
The emerald ash borer (EAB) needs little introduction to Ontario residents. This infamous pest is one of the most notorious in the area and is thought to have been responsible for the death of millions of ash trees throughout Ontario. Originating from Asia, the destructive and dangerous pest is believed to have arrived in North America in 2002. While it brought terror to every ecosystem it infected for many years, recently it has been in the news for new reasons. The long battle to mitigate their impact has often been more failure than success, but now there’s a reason to believe that forest birds have a big role to play in controlling their numbers. For the first time, there’s genuine hope that a natural predator can help keep EAB numbers down.
After habitat loss, invasive species are the second biggest threat to biodiversity around the world. Species become invasive when they move to a new area (normally as a result of human interaction) where their natural predators aren’t around to control their influence on the surroundings. The invasive species, usually animals, plants or disease, can reproduce quickly and damage the habitat, sometimes killing off native habitats completely. The emerald ash borer (EAB) became recognized as one of the most destructive invasive species when it killed millions of ash trees in Ontario. Sadly it isn’t the only one. There are plenty of other invasive species causing damage to tree species throughout Ontario and Canada. Here’s what you need to know about the EAB and others.
The emerald ash borer has become the scourge of Canadian forests, destroying millions of ash trees and altering the landscape forever. But fortunately, the government isn’t sitting back and doing nothing or relying on homeowners to deal with the problems in their own backyard. Municipalities and local authorities across the country are doing everything in their power to rid Canada of this highly invasive and destructive jewel green beetle.
Canada’s beautiful ash forests are under threat from the invasive and ferocious emerald ash borer, a small jewel green beetle that is native to northeast Asia and was first seen on the North American continent in 2002. The larvae of the emerald ash borer burrow and chew under the bark of ash trees, cutting off their supply of nutrients and water, and are so destructive that they can reduce a healthy tree to dead wood in a year or two. The emerald ash borer has been wreaking havoc in Canada virtually unchecked for almost two decades but hopefully, it has now met its match.
The emerald ash borer (EAB) is a nasty little creature that is attacking our ash trees and there seems to be no end in sight. This tenacious little jewelled beetle has mastered the art of survival and even Canada’s harsh weather seems to be no match for it. This means that for now, we have to accept that the emerald ash borer is here to stay but that does not mean we should just give up and stop fighting to rid our country of this invader and save what remains of our ash population.
Emerald ash borer (EAB) is a nasty little metallic blue-green bug, native to Asia, that attacks both healthy and stressed ash trees and has killed millions of these trees in southwestern Ontario and the Great Lakes States and poses a major economic threat to urban and forested areas in North America. The larvae of the EAB tunnels through the vascular system of the ash tree and cuts off the trees supply of water, nutrients, and sugar.
The emerald ash borer (EAB) has become a nightmare for the Canadian government, cities, and homeowners. These pesky little green beetles, native to northeast Asia and first detected in Canada in 2002, are destroying ash trees throughout the country, and there appears to be no end in sight.
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Steve Martin
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