Emerald Ash Borer Confirmed in Toronto

It was reported in North York, at Shepherd & the 403.

Here's a Q&A from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

It was also recently found in Norfolk County at Turkey Point too: "Norfolk County boasts about 27 per cent forest cover and 15 to 20 per cent of its trees are ash trees... (including) the rare blue ash and pumpkin ash that is only found in Norfolk County in Ontario."

Note: The Emerald Ash Borer is the insect we knew about in Essex and Kent. It is not to be confused with the Asian Long-horned beetle, which has already been in the Vaughn area of Toronto since 2003.

Don Watcher John Routh offered this analysis yesterday:

"Efforts are underway to contain the outbreak but there is little anyone can do. They are very difficult to detect. As a introduced insect it has no natural enemies and no pesticides are known to kill it. Unless a miracle fix is found, we may be looking at a permanent change to our forest."

The City of Toronto's Urban Foresty Services had already suspended planting of Ash trees, and offers more information about these and other tree pests in Toronto.