Pointe-Claire will cut down 325 ash trees on public property over the next four months to prevent the spread of the invasive emerald ash borer. For a variety of reasons, the trees tagged for removal could not be treated by TreeAzin, a liquid that can help prevent infestations of the tiny beetle that has already killed millions of ash trees in North America.
The trees are being cut down during a period when the beetle is least likely to be active.
An inventory done by the city identified 4,000 ash trees growing on public property. So far, 1,100 trees have been treated with TreeAzin and an additional 300 will be treated next year. Another 2,600 trees could not be treated because they were already dying. Annual fellings will take place until 2022.
The felled ash wood is to be transformed into timber and used to build furniture. One picnic table has already been built and will be installed in a city park in the spring. Spring will also see 600 trees of various kinds planted on public property. In all, 4,500 trees will be planted over the next seven years.
For more information about the city’s efforts to curb the spread of the beetle and to find out how to treat ash trees growing on private property, visit www.pointe-claire.ca.