City to start emerald ash borer management program Monday

The city is using a botanical pesticide on roughly one thousand trees within a five kilometer radius of where the first emerald ash borer beetle was detected. (Jon Hendricks/CTV News)

The City of Winnipeg is set to begin its emerald ash borer management program in parts of the city Monday, as long as the weather allows.

The program will be taking place in the following insect management areas; Windsor Park, Worthington, Kingston Crescent, Minnetonka, Pulberry, Southland Park, Island Lakes, Royalwood, Vista, Beaumont, Crescent Park, Maybank, Wildwood, Central River Heights, Crescentwood, North River Heights, Wellington Crescent, Grant Park, Rockwood, Minto, St. Matthews, Wolseley, Daniel McIntyre, West Alexander, Dufferin, Logan C.P.R. and Lord Selkirk Park.

The city said it will be injecting the trees with insecticides capable of killing ash-borer larvae inside the trunks.

It said all of Winnipeg’s ash trees will eventually succumb to the threat of emerald ash borer within the next ten years. Only healthy ash trees are being treated to slow the overall mortality of the trees.

“It's important to be proactive in slowing the mortality of our ash trees. We are selecting the best of the ash trees on public property for these injections, so we get the best value out of the treatments,” said Kerienne La France, supervisor of Urban Forestry Technical Services, in a release.

“Winnipeg’s character and identity is largely shaped by our urban forest and the detection of the new invasive species has placed our forest under threat.”

The treatments will happen Monday to Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and will be ongoing until late July.

Residents can register online to be notified about tree pest control activities or by contacting 311.