Milton tops up emerald ash borer strategy budget as trees continue to deteriorate

InsideHalton.com
July 20, 2016
Melanie Hennessey  

The Emerald Ash Borer is out in full force in Milton, hitting both the Town’s trees and pocketbook hard.

The invasive species is costing the Town over $1 million this year to combat through its Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Strategy and has resulted in the removal of 600 trees on municipal property so far in 2016.

“Unfortunately, we will have to eventually remove all the ash trees in Milton in the road right of ways, parks and woodlots,” said Town Manager of Operations Jim Cartwright.

With local ash trees deteriorating more quickly than the Town expected, council recently approved a $521,000 cash infusion from the slot reserve fund for the EAB Strategy budget, bringing the 2016 total spending to $1.2 million.

This surpasses the collective 2014 and 2015 EAB Strategy expenditure of almost $700,000.

The additional funds will primarily be used to remove approximately 600 more mature trees inflicted by the EAB.

“Due to the accelerated spread of the borer, staff is concerned about larger calibre dead trees remaining in place on public lands as it’s known that once a tree fully dies from the borer, the tree becomes desiccated and very brittle and branches have a greater tendency to break off easily in wind storms and/or ice storms,” a report from Town Commissioner of Engineering Services Paul Cripps explains.

The EAB Strategy includes a blended approach to address the harmful pest. Municipal ash trees in good to excellent condition with a 20-centimetre diameter at breast height or higher are being treated with a systemic insecticide called TreeAzin.

Trees that are in fair or poor condition are being removed and replaced with a different species of tree.

Cartwright said the TreeAzin treatment has been about 80 per cent effective.

“There’s still tree and branch dieback on some trees,” he said, noting the treatment “is only a temporary solution.”

According to the Town’s website, it’s estimated the Emerald Ash Borer will destroy most of the ash trees in Milton in the next three to five years.

Since the launch of the EAB Strategy in 2014, an estimated 1,400 ash trees on municipal property have been removed, said Cartwright.

The municipality attempts to replace street trees as quickly as possible with spring and fall planting programs.

Replanting

For parks and greenspace affected by the borer, the Town is welcoming in-kind donations of trees and volunteer efforts for replantings from members of the community, not-for-profit organizations, businesses and conservation authorities.

“The Town, with our partners, have planted well over 12,000 tree seedlings in various open space areas in 2016 alone thus far,” said Cartwright. “We plan to plant thousands more this fall and will continue to seek out these partnerships to increase the urban forest canopy cover.”

Residents on streets where ash trees on public property are affected will receive a door hanger alerting them of upcoming tree removals and replanting.

Any affected trees that aren’t on Town property are the responsibility of the property owner. Residents who are unsure whether an affected tree is on their property or the Town’s can use the Damaged Tree Reporting Form at www.milton.ca or call the Town at 905-878-7252, ext. 2500.