Emerald ash borer's arrival in P.E.I. may only be a matter of time, says council

The emerald ash borer has destroyed tree populations across Canada, and the P.E.I. Invasive Species Council fears it's only a matter of time before the Island is next. 

The council is currently inspecting traps it set around ash trees on the Island to catch the invasive species. The group hopes they come up empty, otherwise it would mark the first time the the pest has been spotted in this province. 

Chase Guindon, the council's co-ordinator, said the emerald ash borers' spread could be slower here than in other provinces because the trees are more spread out — but if the beetles are found, they could still eventually wipe out nearly every ash tree on the Island.

"When it arrives and starts feeding on ash trees, it kills 99 per cent of the trees that it infects," Guindon said. 

"It would be absolutely devastating to our ash tree populations on Prince Edward Island."

Guindon said early detection of the species is crucial because it will require more money and resources to contain the insects as they spread. 

"I would suspect that eventually it will make its way over here," he said.

"What we're doing with the traps is trying to detect it as early as possible so we can respond, try and contain it and protect the trees that aren't infected with it." 

Setting the trap

The traps are shaped like a prism, with three sticky sides to catch the emerald ash borer. The colour is bright green, which is very appealing to the male beetles.

Clay Cutting, an invasive species technician with the council, said the traps work similarly to the sticky papers used to catch flies in your home.

And they contain a few other elements to attract the insect. 

"This trap has within it some pheromones which attract the emerald ash borer, the smell of a dying plant and also the smell of a lady emerald ash borer," he said.

"This trap is designed specifically for male emerald ash borers to be attracted to it."

The traps are hung high in ash trees, where the emerald ash borer is most likely to be present. 

Cutting said council staff set the traps in June, inspect them throughout the summer, and will take them down later this month. The insect only flies from June until September. 

'Buy local, burn local'

The emerald ash borer has already been spotted elsewhere in the country, including Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The council says P.E.I. could be next. 

One advantage the Island has is the Northumberland Strait acting as a natural barrier against the insect, which isn't capable of flying across the open body of water, Guindon said. 

He said the most likely way the insect will arrive is on firewood.

"We always say 'buy local, burn local', which means buy firewood as close to where you're going to be burning it," Guindon said. "If you're coming from an area that has emerald ash borer, definitely don't move firewood out of that spot."

The beetle can be identified by its emerald green colour, and its body is the shape of an uppercase D. 

Firewood from an ash tree that's infected with the emerald ash borer will have S-shaped markings underneath the bark. 

Anyone arriving on the Island with firewood they think could be infected has one last option to dispose of it. The council has metal boxes located at several P.E.I. campgrounds where the wood can be deposited safely. 

"It's secure in there and then there's a little QR code on the bin that you can scan and get a free replacement bundle of firewood from a provincial park or a national park," Guindon said. 

The P.E.I. Invasive Species Council said a tree infected with emerald ash borer usually has small D-shaped exit holes about the size of a sesame seed, and might also have cracked bark or poor canopy health.