80 city trees in Bedford, N.S. to come down because of Emerald Ash Borer

The Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) is cutting down and replacing 80 of its ash trees in and around DeWolf Park in an effort to manage a highly destructive beetle infestation.

“All of the ash trees are being removed. On Convoy Run, Waterfront Drive and in the DeWolf park,” said Kevin Osmond, the HRM’s senior supervisor of urban forestry.

Crews will start cutting the canopy Monday.

Osmond expects the work will take about two to three weeks and said the park will not close but parts of it will be restricted as work happens.

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was first discovered in DeWolf Park in 2018, although Osmond believes it was likely there before.

The beetle that’s native to Asia has tunnelled its ways through ash trees in and around the park, leaving them leafless and lifeless.

“It landed here — got us off guard I guess. We’re hanging it the way it’s been laid out by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency,” Osmond said.

When the beetle was first discovered in Ontario, Osmond said millions of trees were killed and millions were taken down. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency now recommends a more targeted approach.

“We’re taking them down as they die. Unfortunately, in this park and nearby neighbourhoods here, we have a heck of a lot of trees that died really quickly,” he said.

Parkgoers like Julie Holland and her daughter Mae were sad to hear the news.

“That’s devastating,” Holland said.

DeWolf Park is ground zero for the Halifax area, but the problem has spread to private properties.

About three to five per cent of the HRM’s canopy is made up of ash trees and Osmond expects EAB to make its way through the trees over the next five to seven years. Right now, EAB has only been detected in the Bedford area.

Fredericton, N.B., is also dealing with an infestation, although that city’s forestry team believes its infestation is a few years behind the HRM’s.

“Our efforts to date are still with detection,” said Richard Hall, assistant manager of parks and trees and Fredericton’s city forester.

Fredericton is planning to inject more than 1000 of its ash trees with an insecticide called TreeAzin. Hall notes it may not save all of the trees, but it could manage the spread.

“Really, most importantly, to manage that direct hit to the tree canopy,” he said.

The HRM doesn’t typically use insecticides to treat trees but Osmond said it’s something that will be considered in the future.

Arborists do treat privately-owned trees with TreeAzin.

Telltale signs of EAB are D-shaped holes in trees, more woodpecker activity than usual and serpentine marks under the bark. Dying or dead trees may also be an indicator.

Anyone who suspects their tree may be infested is asked to contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency or their local arborist.

In Dewolf Park, every tree that’s cut will be replaced this fall or next spring.

“It won’t be any ash and it’ll be a variety of species,” Osmond said.

The wood from the removed trees will be chipped or buried.

Cutting down 80 trees will also take away a lot of shade from the park. Some parkgoers question whether tents or umbrellas will go up.

“There’s definitely a pavilion that the Lion’s Club is putting down here that’s going to have a roof over it as well as some picnic tables,” said Tim Outhit, HRM Area Councillor. “I haven’t discussed the tents or shades yet but it’s a good idea we can look into.”