19 October 2014

Ashes to ashes

The Emerald Ash Borer beetle is munching its way towards us from southwestern Ontario. On Friday I was talking to an arborist who works to the west of Toronto. He told me that he is spending nearly all his time now cutting down dead ash trees.

Since most of our area of woodland is ash, I spend a lot of time thinking about how this pest is going to impact our landscape when it arrives here. At this time of year, when the ash trees have lost their leaves, I wander through the woods to see what other deciduous trees there are: they're easier to spot when the ash are bare. We have some birch and oak trees, but very few compared to all the ash.


On the bright side, we won't be short of firewood in the future, but I think I'd rather have the living trees.

It has been a spectacular Fall this year. Some years the colours are over in a flash, but this year they seem to have lasted for weeks.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I have an ash in my front yard . All around the city (Ottawa) ash are coming down due to the ash borer and I has so hoping my tree wouldn't get it, but unfortunately it is showing all the signs. Poor or non growth at the top, new branches at the bottom on the trunk. Now I must pay $300 to have my tree cut down and disposed of properly. :( It is sad when so many trees are dying.

Janet
www.ottawacedarfurniture.com