WINNIPEG – The city is preparing for an invasive species that could potentially destroy all of the city’s ash trees.
The emerald ash borer beetle originated in Asia but has made its way into the United States and city officials predict it’ll be in Winnipeg soon, or may be already.
The Urban Forestry Branch recently counted all the ash trees on private properties and are desperately urging the public to not move firewood, one of the main ways the beetle spreads.
The beetle is a destructive invasive pest that feeds on and kills all ash trees. The city predicts there are more than 150,000 ash trees spread throughout the city.
The beetle can infect a tree for several years before it is detected.
The closest confirmed infestations of the emerald ash borer beetle are in Thunder Bay, Ontario and in Duluth, Minnesota.
To help keep the beetle out of Winnipeg the city is asking Manitobans to not bring firewood into the province from other provinces or states and to report infected trees to 311.
For more information on emerald ash borer click on this link.