Parks Commission plan to deal with ash borer impact
Holding open house on Jan. 13

NiagaraThisWeek.com
Jan. 4, 2015

NIAGARA FALLS — There’s no doubt about it, the Emerald Ash Borer is here and is wreaking havoc on tree-lined streets and forested areas across Niagara, including lands owned and maintained by the Niagara Parks Commission (NPC).

According to the NPC, its parks forestry staff have been monitoring and evaluating the impact of the iridescent little beetle that found its way to Niagara from China. The effects of the beetle’s progress are evident from the thousands of dead and dying trees in its wake. By some accounts, upwards of a third of Niagara’s vast tree canopy could eventually be wiped out by the bug.

The invasive insect burrows into ash tree bark and removes the ability of the tree to retain the nutrients it will need to sustain its health and growth. In response, municipalities and agencies across Ontario have taken various measures to limit the impacts of the Emerald Ash Borer on tree-lined streets and within forested areas, the NPC included.

NPC has developed a management plan to address the impact and spread of this particular species, which has affected the high concentration of ash trees found in and along NPC’s Legends on the Niagara Golf Complex. Working with other agencies and utilizing modern forestry management techniques, NPC has provided funds to preserve the environmental and esthetic benefits of the tree population within its lands.

Subsequently, the NPC will host an information open house to discuss its plan, which includes low-intensity thinning to take place on a 40-hectare (100-acre) parcel of land in the northeast area of Legends on the Niagara. In anticipation of the Emerald Ash Borer’s spread, more than 30,000 new trees and seedlings have been planted within Niagara Parks in the past year. Over the course of the next two years, an additional 40,000 new trees and seedlings will be planted.

The open house is scheduled for 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13 at Legends on the Niagara, 9172 Willoughby Dr.