THUNDER BAY — The emerald ash borer continues to wreak havoc on Thunder Bay's urban tree canopy.
City officials say the invasive wood-boring beetle chewed into about 100 ash trees along a recreation trail between Neebing Avenue and James Street.
There's no alternative but to remove the trees and replace them with other species.
Native to Asia, the emerald ash borer was first discovered in Ontario in 2002.
It's believed to have migrated to the province from the U.S. in untreated wooden packaging materials.
In 2016, the insect showed up in Thunder Bay, prompting city council to approve a management program projected to cost $7 million over 10 years.
At the time, it was estimated that the emerald ash borer could destroy 26 per cent of the city's tree canopy if left unchecked.
The management program targeted the gradual removal and replacement of 4,600 ash trees and the protection of 1,700 trees by treatment with a biopesticide.
Cory Halvorsen, manager of parks and open spaces for the city, said Wednesday that the Woodward recreation trail in Westfort is one of the larger infested areas the city has dealt with to date.
"It's just part of the ongoing program, where we're constantly monitoring the condition of trees and responding to reports of trees showing signs of decline. In that location, we felt it had escalated to a point where it was time to do the removals, and it was a cost-effective time."
He added: "We have been going into other neighbourhoods, though, where we've had a large amount of ash, and have been proactively doing multiple removals in those locations as well."
The removal/treatment program has been extended to 2030.
Trees that are taken down are chipped, and the chips are trucked to the Thunder Bay Pulp & Paper mill.
Crews are assigned to pick up any debris that isn't left in what the city considers a naturalized area.
In the next month or two, staff are expected to provide council with an update on the emerald ash borer management plan.
Halvorsen said "We'll have a lot more information to share . . . a lot more to discuss publicly" at that time.
