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Temporary park closures to tackle Emerald Ash Borer By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The Town of Oakville will close six woodlots over the coming weeks as the forestry department is set to remove more than 2,000 dying ash trees, destroyed by the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). The Town closed Perkins Passage Park and Winston Woods Park as of Nov. 1, and as weather conditions permit, forestry personnel is bringing in machinery to remove dead or dying ash trees from the parks. The first two park closures will be followed by four more (Cornwall Road Sports Park, Morrison Valley South, Oakville Park and Sheridan Valley) over the coming weeks. No park will be closed for longer than two weeks, the Town announced at a public presentation at Winston Woods Park in mid October. The Town does not have an exact schedule of closures as it is dependent on weather conditions. "These are trees that are, on average, 50 per cent dead," said John McNeil, manager of the Town's forestry services department. "If they are left on their own, they'll become an unacceptable risk. They'll start breaking apart in windstorms and just falling over trails and rear yards. Before they get to that state, we want to pro-actively deal with them." The Town's fight with the EAB is well-documented. Over the past two years, forestry staff have treated nearly 6,000 ash trees located along streets and in parks by injecting an insecticide called TreeAzin. However, there are ash trees so heavily infested, they cannot be treated, among those are trees located within woodlots. The first 2,020 small and 305 large ash trees slated for removal in the six woodlots, mentioned earlier, are just the beginning of the Town's work. "This is just the tip of the iceberg," McNeil said. "There's upwards of 43,000 ash trees throughout the 150plus properties that are going to be affected over the next five to 10 years. These first six parks are just the beginning." McNeil called the EAB infestation a huge problem, that will take five to 10 years to deal with. In that time, the Town will be closing woodlots to remove ash trees. And this is not only an Oakville problem, though the municipality has been more pro-active with the infestation than most. "The insect is pretty well-estab- 3 · Thursday, November 8, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @halton_photog forest facts: Residents were invited to Winston Woods Park recently to learn how Oakville is managing the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Here, Colin Briscoe, the Town's EAB lead hand, speaks to residents about ash trees and damage. From left, Ann MacNaughton, Nancy Sainthill and Sheila Mayer of Williams and Associations, forestry consultants hired by the Town of Oakville. lished in southern Ontario by now and Oakville is no exception, except for the trees that we've been treating on the road allowance and in active parks with TreeAzin," McNeil said. Despite treating roadside trees, McNeil said not all ash trees along roads and in parks can be saved either. They will be replaced by different species along roads. However, the woodlot trees will not be replaced. "In the woodlot setting, you would do more damage bringing in machinery to plant a tree," McNeil said. The Town will allow for natural regeneration to grow back the wood- 50 S P E E R S PA I N T ONE WEEKEND ONLY ONLY PAINT SALE % OFF * * AVAILABLE AT THESE LEADING PAINT & DECORATING RETAILERS SPEERS PAINT 275 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON L6K 261 www.speerspaint.com 905-337-7272 lot canopy. As ash trees are removed, which will reduce the canopy coverage, sunlight will hit the forest floor, and increase vegetation growth. "In the forest setting, natural regeneration will account for the bulk of the regeneration," McNeil said. At the Saturday presentation, Town staff showcased some of the tools it will be using to remove the ash trees. It will be using a combination of horse logging and rubber-tire logging equipment to remove the trees. However, during that time, for public safety, the woodlots will be closed to the public. "We don't want any risk to the public when they're using the trails... It's pretty hard for the operators to have eyes at the backs of their head. It's just safer not to have them open for general use, while the harvesting is going on," McNeil said. Residents are also asked to pitch in to help in the war against the EAB pest. People can join the Oakville Canopy Club, a community outreach program, and have ash trees on their own properties treated with TreeAzin, at their own expense. For more information, visit www. oakville.ca and search for Canopy Club. NOVEMBER 9-11 · DON'T MISS IT! PARA ELITE, ULTRA & PREMIUM INTERIOR PAINTS *Offer applies to 3.70L cans only of PARA Elite, Ultra and Premium Interior paints. 50% off suggested retail price. Offer valid from November 9 ­ November 11, 2012, at participating dealers.