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Pest Alert Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis)

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image - Pest Alert Emerald Ash Borer. Description follows.
Description of image - Pest Alert Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis)

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a highly destructive insect pest of ash trees. Native to eastern Asia, this pest was first discovered in Canada and the U.S. in 2002. The EAB has killed millions of ash trees in Southwestern Ontario, Michigan and surrounding states, and poses a major economic and environmental threat to urban and forested areas in both countries. The EAB attacks and kills all species of ash (except Mountain ash which is not a true ash).

How does the EAB spread?

While the EAB can fly up to several kilometres, another significant factor contributing to its spread is the movement of firewood, nursery stock, trees, logs, lumber, wood with bark attached and wood or bark chips.

Signs of infestation

Tree decline, including:

  • thinning crown
  • diminished density of leaves
  • evidence of adult beetle feeding on leaves
  • long shoots growing from the trunk or branches
  • vertical cracks in the trunk
  • small D-shaped emergence holes
  • S-shaped tunnels under the bark filled with fine sawdust

Contact the CFIA

If you see suspected signs of infestation on your ash trees or if you plan on moving firewood (e.g., when camping, relocating or managing a woodlot), contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for more information.

Help Protect Canada's Trees and Forests.

www.inspection.gc.ca/pests

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