Prosperous planting

Firewood from south of the border and from eastern Ontario could introduce the emerald ash borer to Thunder Bay and decimate the local ash population, says the city’s forester.

About 50 volunteers planted more than 200 trees near Boulevard Lake on Saturday as part of the annual Arbour Day tree-planting event. In the past five years, volunteers planted about 2,600 trees around Boulevard Lake and the Current River area.

There were plenty of displays on tree maintenance and a few on the dangers of the emerald ash borer. The emerald ash borer, a dark green coloured beetle, attacks and kills all species of ash expect the mountain ash, which isn’t a true ash. The insect has killed millions of ash trees in southwestern Ontario, and in parts of the United States.

Federal regulatory measures prohibit Canadians from bringing in firewood from certain areas of Ontario and Quebec as well as across the border.

City of Thunder Bay Forester Shelley Vescio said she’s concerned the emerald ash borer could make its way to Thunder Bay if residents chose to ignore those regulations and bring in infected firewood.

She said believes people are transporting firewood because it is cheaper to bring firewood that they purchased instead of having to purchase more firewood at campgrounds or from local suppliers.

"Right now it is in Sault Ste Marie and in St. Paul, Minn., so we don’t want people bringing their firewood from those areas to Northwestern Ontario," Vescio said. "That’s how the (insect) travels. It will kill all of our ash trees. If you take out 30 to 35 per cent of the trees, it is going to be a big loss. The streets are lined with ash trees."

Infected firewood isn’t the only means of travel for the emerald ash borer, it can also travel in infected nursery stock, she said.

Vescio said planting trees is a great way to bring the community together and to show how important trees are to the city.

Rena Viehbeck, the urban forestry program specialist for the City of Thunder Bay, said the planting offers a chance for residents to not only improve the urban forest but to also learn more about the importance of trees.

Viehbeck said they planted bigger trees than last year to give the seedlings and potted plants a better chance of survival. About 50 per cent of the trees will not survive until next year. The reason ranges from carelessness to the natural environment, she said.

"Hopefully with these bigger trees will have a better survival rate," Viehbeck said. "Urban forests are really important for our own well being and pride. I think everyone appreciates their own private trees in their yard and they get the direct benefits such as shade, cleaning the air or looking beautiful. But for a community, all those individual trees add up."