Emerald Ash Borer expensive vaccine

Residents who want to protect ash trees from being infected with the Emerald Ash Borer disease near their property will have to use contractors licensed by the City of Toronto according to the Contractors Service Agreement.

Licensed contractors have to remove infected trees properly, and dispose of the infected wood at a government designated site, such as the one located at 1 Transfer Place in Scarborough.

There is however a way to prevent trees from becoming infected with the disease by injecting a spray around the roots of the tree, but the treatment is quite expensive.

“You have to treat your trees with these chemicals every year and it’s just a temporary fix, they’re not even sure if you spend this money every year, you know 8 to 900 dollars a year, you would to treat a tree that it would work,” said Paul Ainslie, councilor for Ward 43.

So far, there has only been one confirmed case on a public property in the Guildwood area, but there have been some trees infected with the disease on private property.

Infected trees have to be cut up into pieces through chipping. The sunlight exposure also helps kill the disease, especially the infectious larvae, which -according to recent research done in the United States- will prevent its spread to other trees.

Most trees found in the Guildwood area are ash trees, which puts the entire area at risk. Infected trees have been spotted in the Morningside and Sheppard Avenue. There are also some infected trees on private property in the Kingston and Galloway Roads area.

Trees can be given an injection of TreeAzin, a natural insecticide, to prevent them from becoming infected with the disease.

The vaccine costs about $800 and is being administered by the Canadian federal government, but since the government is not covering any costs to vaccinate trees on private property, the residents who wish to protect their trees will have to pay the cost themselves.

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By: Selena Mann
Posted: Nov 23 2009 9:10 am
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