Emerald Ash Borer Impact Study begins

06/02/2016

The Kahnawà:ke Environment Protection Office (KEPO) has begun a two-year project to manage the impacts from the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive beetle from eastern Asia that kills ash trees and is now present in the community.

Working in conjunction with other Mohawk communities and the surrounding municipalities, the KEPO will develop a management plan to address the environmental, cultural and economic threats that the Ash Borer presents. The project will raise awareness of the Ash Borer as well as educate community members on how to identify the different types of ash trees and signs of infestation so that proper measures can be taken to reduce the spread of the Ash Borer and to minimize safety hazards.

Over the next two years, an inventory of ash trees will be conducted and several lures and traps will be put up to determine the extent of Ash Borer infestation in Kahnawà:ke. KEPO summer students will also be planting different species of trees throughout the community to reduce the environmental impacts from the loss of the ash trees.

In addition to the impacts to the environment, Kahnawà:ke  and other  Kanien’kehá:ka  communities will  be directly impacted by the loss of the ash trees because the black ash is used for traditional basket weaving practices and is an important part of Kanien’kehá:ka  traditional heritage. The death of the ash trees also creates safety hazards due to potential falling trees and branches.

The Emerald Ash Borer was first discovered in North America in Detroit and Windsor around 2002 and has already killed tens of millions of ash trees as it spreads across eastern North America. It has few natural predators and ash trees have little to no resistance to attacks.

Funding for this project was granted through the Commission for Environmental Cooperation´s North American Partnership for Environmental Community Action program.

Questions or comments about this project can be addressed to Lynn Jacobs at 450-635-0600 or lynn.jacobs@mck.ca.