Background
OTTAWA, August 3, 2010: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the presence of the emerald ash borer (EAB) in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Ontario, at a rest area along Highway 401 eastbound, near Mallorytown.
Movement restrictions will be placed on the affected property and the owners will be notified. Further regulatory measures to control this infestation will be considered once surveying throughout eastern Ontario has been completed.
Although the EAB does not pose a risk to human health, it is a highly destructive beetle that has already killed a large number of ash trees in Ontario and north eastern U.S., and it poses a major economic threat to urban and forested areas of North America. There have been numerous finds of this pest in Ontario and Quebec.
The emerald ash borer can spread rapidly if moved by people. The key challenge in limiting the spread of this beetle is to get people to stop moving potentially infested ash materials - such as logs, branches, nursery stock, wood chips and firewood of all species - to non-infested locations. The public can play a key part in helping to control the spread of EAB by avoiding actions that would promote its spread.
The CFIA continues to work with its partners and stakeholders towards slowing the spread of the EAB. We all have a responsibility to protect Canada's forests.
Additional information is available on the CFIA web site at www.inspection.gc.ca/pests or by calling 1-866-463-6017.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Media Relations: 613-773-6600
The emerald ash borer was first discovered in Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan in 2002. It is believed that it was introduced to North America from eastern Asia in wooden packaging materials in the early 1990s, but went undetected until its population built up to damaging levels.
The CFIA employs measures to control the movement of potentially infested materials in order to slow the spread of EAB to new areas. Ministerial Orders are issued to prohibit the movement of ash tree materials and firewood of any species outside the regulated area without prior permission from the CFIA. Those who move regulated materials from regulated areas without the permission of the CFIA could face fines and/or prosecution.
In Canada, infestations have been detected and Ministerial Orders for EAB have been put in place for the following:
- the City of Toronto, the City of Hamilton and the regions of Halton, Peel, York, Durham and Niagara;
- the Municipality of Chatham-Kent and the counties of Essex, Elgin, Lambton and Middlesex;
- Norfolk County;
- Huron County;
- Sault Ste. Marie;
- Ottawa and its neighbouring city of Gatineau; and
- the city of Carignan, including the cities of Chambly, Richelieu, Saint-Basile-le-Grand and the municipality of Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu.
Regulatory measures have also been put in place to restrict movement of risk materials from affected properties in the City of Brantford, where EAB was most recently confirmed.