The CFIA ( Canadian Food Inspection Agency) says it has confirmed the presence of the Emerald Ash Beetle in Nova Scotia.
The CFIA says the finding of the emerald ash borer at a site in Bedford, N.S., is a first for the province, which is outside the areas currently regulated for the beetle in Canada. The emerald ash borer was also found in New Brunswick after doing significant damage to ash trees in Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba.
The CFIA says more survey work is being done to determine whether the pest has become established in the area where it was found and whether it has spread. It says the movement of all ash material such as logs, branches, and woodchips, and all species of firewood from the affected site has been restricted.
The emerald ash borer has already killed millions of ash trees in regulated areas in Canada and the United States and poses a major economic and environmental threat to urban and forested areas of North America. The CFIA says it is continuing work to slow the spread of this pest.
The emerald ash borer is a non-native beetle that is originally from Asia. Its presence in Canada was first confirmed in 2002. Five of Canada’s ash species have been listed as critically endangered because of the emerald ash borer.