The Nature Conservancy of Canada is asking people to be on the lookout for an evasive species of beetle.
The Emerald Ash Borer Beetle is a shiny metallic green beetle, native to Asia, and it has been causing a swath of destruction across North America killing ash trees, which are now threatened in many areas.
The black ash tree, one of six native ash trees in Canada, has been listed as threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.
The beetle first appeared in Canada in 2002 along the Michigan/Windsor border, and has since caused a lot of damage to ash trees in Ontario and Quebec. As a result the cities of Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto have lost most of their ash trees. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have also been invaded by the pest, which like to hitch a ride in firewood. When people transport that wood the beetle effectively spreads from area to area.
The conservancy’s National Media Relations Director Andrew Holland says ash trees are not only important in nature but also in our economy.
“Ash trees are used for furniture, hand-held tools, baseball bats and hockey sticks, and Indigenous communities use them for baskets. So if you have fewer ash trees our economy will suffer,” he said.
He says once the beetle has established itself in an area it will destroy 99% of the ash trees in a community within 7-9 years.
“It does a lot of damage, so we are asking people not to transport firewood with them when they are going camping, but buy the wood close to where you are going to burn it.”
Any sightings of the Emerald Ash Borer Beetle should be reported to the Canada Food Inspection Agency. Pictures of the beetle can also be uploaded to iNaturalist, a database used to identify at-risk and invasive species and their locations.
It has already been identified in Halifax County.
