No way to make money off infected ash trees: city

cornwallseawaynews.com
April 08, 2016

A plan to make money off trees infected with a parasitic insect have been scuttled.

There was some hope at city hall that trees infected with the Emerald Ash Borer, an insect that is spreading like wild fire across this part of the country, could be chopped up and sold for firewood.

But a report going to city hall Monday night suggests splitting and drying the wood would actually cost more in the long run.

"The Parks and Landscape Department currently does not have the equipment to split the infected ash wood, nor does it have a secure area to store the wood until such time that it can be sold," Jamie Fawthrop, parks and rec manager, said in his report to council. "Municipalities that had experience with this disposal method advised city staff that their costs to process the infected ash wood to make it suitable for sale as firewood exceeded the revenue that was generated by its sale."

During the 1998 ice storm downed trees were chopped up and wood was sold, generating nearly $50,000 for the local United Way.

But Fawthrop points out that the federal government covered the labour costs associated with the clearing of the trees by way of an emergency grant.

"Had the costs to process the wood not been covered by this federal grant, this method of disposal would not have generated a profit," he added.

Instead, the contractor who is removing infected city-owned trees is responsible to cut the trees into 14- to 16-inch lengths and deliver the cut wood into a designated bin located at Optimist Park where residents may obtain the cut wood for no charge.

All ash tree removals, stumping, replacement planting, and treatment injections are being completed by contractors retained through the city's tendering processes. In 2015, under this management program 468 ash trees were treated, 550 trees were removed, 258 stumps were removed, 330 replacement trees were planted.

The emerald ash borer lays its eggs within ash trees, and the larvae feeds on tree nutrients, eventually leading to death.