The Emerald Ash Borer is a problem that has plagued ash trees around London for over a decade.
The bug continues to spread because it has few predators and is not killed off by cold weather.
"The mortality rate for infested trees is very high and the problem has become very severe," says Ivan Lister, manager of Urban Forestry for London. "We keep seeing more trees become infested, it's become an exponentially growing concern for years now."
The bugs only have a two year life span, but that hasn't stopped them from spreading like wildfire around London.
The city is aware of the increasing number and set up the Emerald Ash Borer Strategy, which provides city workers with an annual budget of $400,000 to inject infested trees with chemical treatments and to fund the removal of any dead trees.
"We use a chemical called Treeazin that has been approved by the federal government for controlling the problem, but the trees need to be in pretty good shape in order for them to be able to absorb the chemical," says Lister.
The city is limited to Treeazin as the only option it can use for treatment and any ash tree owners are advised to contact a certified arborist for inspection.
**this story was written by Alec Ross, a student in the Broadcast Journalism program at Fanshawe College. Alec is currently performing an internship with BlackburnNews.com
