OTTAWA, ONTARIO - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the presence of the emerald ash borer (EAB) in the municipality of Ange-Gardien and in Gatineau Park in the municipality of Chelsea, both within the municipalité régionale de comté (MRC) Les-Collines-de-l'Outaouais.
Movement restrictions, which prohibit the movement of all ash materials-such as logs, branches and wood chips-and all species of firewood from the affected site, have been put in place. Property owners in the affected area have been notified of these restrictions. Further regulatory measures will be considered once all survey work has been completed.
The presence of EAB has been confirmed in five areas in Quebec, and in 27 Ontario counties. Although EAB does not pose a risk to human health, it is a highly destructive beetle. It has already killed millions of ash trees in Ontario, Quebec and the United States, and poses a major economic and environmental threat to urban and forested areas of North America.
EAB is established in several areas of Canada and can spread rapidly if it is moved by people. The public can help control the spread of EAB by not moving potentially infested materials such as all species of firewood or any ash materials such as logs, branches, nursery stock, chips or other ash wood.
The CFIA continues to work with federal, provincial and municipal governments towards slowing the spread of EAB. We all have a responsibility to protect Canada's forests.
Additional information is available on the CFIA website at www.inspection.gc.ca/pests or by calling 1-866-463-6017.
BACKGROUNDER
The emerald ash borer (EAB) was first discovered in Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan in 2002. It is believed that this beetle was introduced to North America from eastern Asia in wood packaging material in the early 1990s. It went undetected until its population built up to damaging levels.
Scientists in Canada and the United States have concluded that EAB cannot be eradicated. In light of this, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) adopted a "slow-the-spread" approach. As part of that, the CFIA continues to do the following activities across Canada: surveillance, regulation, enforcement and communications.
To help limit the spread of EAB, a ministerial order has been enacted to regulate areas infested by the pest. This will help to restrict the movement of ash tree articles and firewood. This is needed because moving these items contributes to the beetle spreading .
The regulated areas for EAB under ministerial order in 2012 are as follows.
Ontario
•Cities of Hamilton and Toronto, the Regional Municipalities of Chatham-Kent, Durham, York, Peel, Halton, Niagara and Waterloo and the Counties of Brant (including the City of Brantford), Elgin, Essex, Haldimand, Huron, Lambton, Middlesex, Norfolk, Oxford, Perth and Wellington
•City of Sault Ste. Marie
•The Manitoulin district
Ontario - Quebec
•City of Ottawa, and the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville and Prescott and Russell in Ontario and, in the City of Gatineau, in Quebec
Quebec
•Municipalities of Carignan, Chambly, Richelieu, Saint-Basile-le-Grand and Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu
•Cities of Montréal, Baie-d'Urfé, Beaconsfield, Côte-Saint-Luc, Dollard-Des Ormeaux, Dorval, Hampstead, Kirkland, L'Île-Dorval, Montreal East, Montreal West, Mont-Royal, Pointe-Claire, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Senneville and Westmount in Quebec.
Specifically, ministerial orders prohibit people from moving the following articles outside of an infested area:
•ash nursery stock,
•ash trees,
•ash logs and ash branches,
•rough ash lumber,
•wood packaging materials with an ash component as a stand-alone commodity,
•ash bark,
•ash wood chips or bark chips, and
•firewood from all tree species that has not been treated to eliminate EAB.
Movement restrictions for EAB also apply to vehicles if they are used to transport regulated articles.
Don't move firewood
Transporting firewood is a common way for invasive pests like EAB to spread. Hidden under the bark where you can't see them, these pests are moved across Canada.
EAB, for example, has killed millions of ash trees in the United States and Canada since it was first introduced from Asia. On its own, though, it doesn't move very far. Help slow its spread to new areas: don't move infested materials like firewood.
Help control the spread of invasive pests
•BUY and burn local firewood only.
•LEARN where your firewood comes from.
•FIND out if you are living in or travelling to an area regulated for an invasive pests.
•LEAVE natural items in their natural habitats.
Additional information on EAB and related ministerial orders in Canada are available on the CFIA website at www.inspection.gc.ca/pests.
Source: CFIA
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