City to cut 700 trees to fight invasive pest

Ottawa has launched an aggressive campaign to cut down trees infested with emerald ash borer, an invasive wood-boring beetle first discovered in the city in 2008.

The city began cutting down trees on city property marked for removal on Thursday, the beginning of a six-week campaign to get rid of 700 trees and attempt to slow the spread of the insect.

The Ash Borer is a highly destructive beetle first noticed in North America in 2002 that feeds on the bark of ash trees and has killed millions of trees in Ontario and the United States. Trees infested with the beetle's larvae can lose half their branches within a year and usually die within two to three years.

It was first discovered in Ottawa in the St. Laurent Boulevard and Highway 417 area, and it was on a residential street near St. Laurent and Montreal Road that city crews worked to cut down the first tree slated for removal on Thursday.

The city removed around 150 infested trees in 2010.

The infested trees slated for removal noticeable for the red "x" marking them are almost all in the east end wards of Beacon Hill-Cyrville, Rideau-Rockcliffe and Alta Vista. The only other trees slated for removal are on Prince of Wales Drive at the Central Experimental Farm.

Jennifer Tennant was watching the removal of the first trees from her bungalow on Claude Avenue, where 72 trees, including one in front of her home, are slated for removal. She said the tree removal was a surprise, but was glad to hear a tree supporting a swing her daughter plays on was not touched.

"I was actually pretty shocked the first time I drove down the street and saw all the big red X's, and a little sad," said Tennant.

The trees are being cut down in winter because the insect is inactive during the season.

City environment committee chair Maria McRae said the city chose to plantash trees to withstand the rigours of life in Ottawa, but now has learned the risks of monoculture.

"I think that was a mistake that was made that we know we're going to correct for the future," said McRae.

The trees are slated to be replaced by a mix of tree species to prevent the quick spread of insects and pests who target one specific plant.

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