The emerald ash borer, a highly destructive invasive beetle, was first confirmed in Canada in 2002. (Submitted/Canadian Food Inspection Agency)
Buy your firewood from the place you’re camping at this weekend, that’s the advice from the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
Spokesperson Andrew Holland says if you don’t, the emerald ash borer might hitch a ride.
“This is a little green beetle that once it’s established in a certain area, it will wipe out 99 per cent of ash trees within a seven-year period. It just does devastation to ash trees,” he said.
The emerald ash borer is bright metallic green and roughly eight to 14 millimetres long and should be reported to the Canada Food Inspection Agency if seen.
It typically gets transported along with any wood brought to a new place and that’s how the species spreads so quickly. It is spreading rapidly and threatening forested areas throughout North America.
Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto have lost most of their ash trees.
“These are quite often used in municipalities along like in parks, along roads, they’re in and around wetlands, it does a lot of damage for sure,” he said.
Holland said while the ecosystem itself is at risk from the beetle when it invades, it can also have an impact on the economy.
“Ash trees are used for furniture, they’re used for tool handles, baseball bats, hockey sticks. Indigenous communities use it to build crafts and things like that. Ash trees are used for a lot of purposes,” he said.
Holland said the best way to avoid transporting the beetles is to avoid transporting firewood because the beetles hitch a ride from there.
He said residents should remember to buy local and burn local.
