The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, June 19, 2013 | 10 Residents invited to open house to discuss EAB by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff Oakville Town council approved a $2.5-million Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) management program for 2013 Monday, signalling a summer that will see many municipal ash trees protected while others are removed. Between now and the end of August, approximately 2,500 healthy ash trees on streets and in public parks across Oakville will be injected with TreeAzin, a bio-insecticide that protects them from EAB, said Oakville's Manager of Forestry Services John McNeil. Other municipal ash trees have already been so damaged by EAB they need to be cut for public safety. In 2012, 687 municipal ash trees met this fate. The metallic, green-coloured invasive beetle has killed tens of millions of ash trees in North America. The pest tunnels into the bark and destroys the tree's vascular system, killing the tree within a few years when left untreated. Town staff demonstrated both aspects of the EAB management program Tuesday -- treating one tree and cutting down another along Sprucedale Drive. For the healthy tree, which was treated, multiple cylinders filled with TreeAzin were attached allowing the tree to absorb the substance. Akshaya Durai Babu, an urban forest technician with TRUGREEN, administers TreeAzin injections to a municipal tree on Sprucedale Drive. photo by David Lea ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog) Grimaud Montignon, an urban forest technician with TRUGREEN said the injection process can take some time so it's up to an hour or more before the cylinders are removed. The Town is treating approximately 5,700 municipal ash trees over the next 10 years. Currently, 40 per cent receive treatment during odd years, while the remaining 60 per cent receive treatment in even years. "Oakville has the most aggressive EAB treatment program in the country," said Oakville Mayor Rob Burton. "We are seeing great success with the use of the bio-insecticide TreeAzin. Of the over 5,000 municipal trees treated since the program began in 2008, 98 per cent are still alive and in good condition. These are impressive results." The Sprucedale Drive example that could not be saved appeared dead with not a single leaf sprouting from its branches. McNeil said it is important to remove an infected tree because they become very brittle. The Sprucedale specimen had large branches that stretched over a sidewalk and a resident's driveway. "If this tree was left alone, it would just start shedding," said McNeil. "That may be OK in the back of a woodland property, but out on the public road allowance, it is not safe." Others like it do not qualify for the TreeAzin program because of its structure and size. McNeil said 8,700 infested municipal ash trees will have to be cut over the next four to five years. Another 40,000 dead and dying ash trees are scheduled to be removed from Oakville's woodlots over the next 10 years. A report to council stated 3,500 were scheduled to be cut in the Town's woodlots over the 2012-2013 winter season. Last year, McNeil said the Town's forestry department planted 412 trees to replace those removed from municipal roads and parks. Planting of this sort is done during the spring and fall. For the moment, though, the Town is not planting any new ash trees. "My hope is that some time down the road the geneticists will come up with an ash that is either resilient to the EAB or science will come up with a predator. "There are some experiments going on right now to release a predator for the EAB," said McNeil. "Because none of these things are in place we don't plan on planting any ash trees in the short term." The Town of Oakville will hold an open house to educate residents about EAB and what is being done to fight it. The information session will be held at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre, 2302 Bridge Rd., tomorrow (Thursday). The event is set for 7-9 p.m. and will look at ways residents can make informed decisions about ash trees on their property. About 80 per cent of Oakville's ash trees (44,000) are located on private property. Forestry staff will be on-site at the open house to provide information on the Town's EAB management plan and to answer residents' questions. For information, contact Service Oakville at 905-845-6601 or e-mail serviceoakville@ oakville.ca. SUMMER SIDEWALK distinctive ladies fashions PEGGY'S MOST SEASONAL DESIGNER FASHIONS Hopedale Mall, Oakville · 905-465-3499 All Sales Final www.peggysfashions.ca 40 OFF - 70 SALE %