The emerald ash borer, a highly destructive invasive beetle, was first confirmed in Canada in 2002. (Submitted/Canadian Food Inspection Agency)
A very small beetle capable of doing extreme damage to ash trees was recently identified in Moncton.
The Emerald Ash Borer has most likely been hitching a ride on firewood since it has already been found in Edmundston and Oromocto.
Nature Conservancy of Canada spokesperson Paula Noel says the invasive insect attacks white, black and green ash trees.
“It can kill a tree within a few years … about 5 to 7 years. An ash tree that has been infected with this insect … 99 per cent of the time the tree will be killed,” she notes.
Noel says very few ash trees have shown resistance to this insect although injecting a pesticide into trees prior to infection has proven effective in some areas including Fredericton.
Noel adds it’s extremely important not to transport firewood because that helps the Emerald Ash Borer move around adding that’s the only explanation for the speed of the spread.
When it comes to firewood, Noel emphasizes “Buy It Where You Burn It”.
