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1 7 | Thursday, June 18, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER Scenario similar to Iroquois Shoreline Woods which has come back to life continued from p. 16 woodland areas were chosen to start of the program because the insects were first detected there, Town officials said. The trees must be removed for safety reasons, McNeil said. "They become structurally unsound and unsafe and can break apart in a severe wind storm or ice storms," McNeil said. "There is a potential for them to fall on a public trail or pathway or on somebody's property. So they will be taken down in a controlled manner and a restoration program will follow." The Emerald Ash Borer is native to Asia, but it's believed it was introduced into Canada in wood pallets shipped in ocean freighters, McNeil said. "It's a borer insect. It drills into the trees in the winter and destroys the circulation system, rendering it unable to bring up water and other nutrients throughout the summer," McNeil said. "It kills the tree within a few years. That's why it's called a primary tree-killer. There is also no natural predator for this insect." The restoration, which will begin in the spring of 2016, will occur in three phases. Natural regeneration will take place with existing vegetation sprouting up in the woodlands from natural seed sources. Then, intensive planting will include two different sizes, ranging from two- to three-year seedlings to seven- to eight-year-old saplings. The hardwood trees will include oak and maple, as well as various fruit-bearing trees. By years three, four and five, weeds will be pulled by hand from the native hardwood trees. While the Town will establish intensive planting sites in select areas, natural regeneration will account for most regrowth in the woodlands. Following tree removals, logs, branches and wood debris left on the forest floor will break down, nourishing the soil and aiding regrowth. "We won't be re-planting any ash trees because we don't want to re-establish its foot source," McNeil said. All of the ash trees will be completely removed. Trees affected generally die from the top down, which is why the trees are bare at the top, McNeil said. "By then, the whole tree is infested." "They (EAB) burrow around for two to three years," McNeil said, noting some trees to be cut down have stood for as long as 80 years. In Canada, most affected ash trees are in Ontario and Quebec, though Manitoba is watching for EAB. The adult insect looks like a green-winged bug. After eggs hatch, legless grubs emerge in late fall and bore into trees. Citing Iroquois Shoreline Woods as an example of how forests can regrow, McNeil said he is confident the ash program will also rejuvenate the woodlands. "In 2003, we had a similar scenario at Iroquois Shoreline Woods," he said. "Nearly 4,000 oak trees were dead and dying due to a combination of oak decline and an invasive pest called the two-lined chestnut borer. "The Town developed a long-term forest management plan. Today, anyone would be surprised to leam that only a decade ago, the forest lost 80 per cent of its oak trees. Where once you would have seen cut trees and branches on the forest floor, now we see it has come back to life." In keeping with best forest management practices, the Town will also remove any tree that' s structurally unsound or overcrowding the forest causing stagnation, Town officials said. A map of the properties in this year's woodlands program is available on the Town's website at oakville.ca. Portions of select woodlands will be temporarily closed over periods throughout the year while trees are removed. For more information, visit www.oakville.ca. Because family matters Let us take care of you Oakview Funeral Home has been serving the Oakville community for over 30 years. We are proud community supporters and w ill assist your family in creating a highly personalized service to suit your taste and budget. Oakview Funeral Home serves one family at a time and offers competitive prices and superior service. | www.insideHALTON.com Get your FREE Planning Kit! Call Dawn Spencer today: 905-842-2252 c Look for us on Facebook Visit www.oakviewfuneral.ca for a virtual tour of our funeral home. 0 Oakview Funeral Home by Arbor Memorial 56 Lakeshore Road, W.,Oakville Arbor Memorial Inc. Family Owned. Proudly Canadian. SUMMER FUN CAMPS SIGN UP FOR A SUMMER OF FU Skills & Drills! ©T-Shirt & Soccer Ball! ^ ^ OAKVILLE SOCCER CLUB O A K V IL L E SO CCER C LU B ©Off-The-Pitch Adventures: Movies, Bow ling & Swimming! © Frid a y P izza P izza L u n c h ! TO REGISTER A N D /O R FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.OAKVILLESOCCER.CA