PUBLIC SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE OPEN MEETING

Transcription

1 PUBLIC SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE OPEN MEETING Date: Location: Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 12:00 p.m. Second Floor Committee Room, City Hall, Fredericton 1. Committee Membership Councillor John MacDermid, Chair Councillor Eric Price, Vice-Chair Councillor Kevin Darrah, Member Councillor Greg Ericson, Member Councillor Stephen Chase, Member Councillor Bruce Grandy, Member Councillor Eric Megarity, Member 2. Agenda Declaration of Conflict of Interest Members of Council must disclose if they have a conflict of interest in any matter which is the subject of consideration before Council. 2.1 Emerald Ash Borer PowerPoint Presentation by: (15 mins) Mike Glynn, Assistant Manager, Parks & Trees 2.2 European Chafer Beetle Damage in Fredericton PowerPoint Presentation by: (15 mins) Mike LaCroix, Landscape Horticulture

2 EMERALD ASH BORER COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU! Don Murray, RPF 1 Mike Glynn, RPF June 12, 2018

3 What is Emerald Ash Borer? The Emerald Ash Borer is a metallic green wood-boring beetle of about 1 to 1.5 cm in length that attacks all native species of ash trees, typically killing them in 2 to 3 years. Its larva bore tunnels inside the tree feeding off the inner bark until the tree dies. 2

4 Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, is an exotic beetle that was discovered in southeastern Michigan near Detroit in the summer of EAB probably arrived in the United States on solid wood packing materials carried in cargo ships or airplanes originating in its native Asia. 3

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7 The outer bark is the tree's protection from the outside world. Continually renewed from within, it helps keep out moisture in the rain and prevents the tree from losing moisture when the air is dry. It insulates against cold and heat and wards off insect enemies. The cambium cell layer is the growing part of the trunk. It annually produces new bark and new wood in response to hormones that pass down through the phloem with food from the leaves. Sapwood (xylem) is the tree's pipeline for water moving up to the leaves. Sapwood is new wood. As newer rings of sapwood are laid down, inner cells lose their vitality and turn to heartwood. The inner bark, or phloem, is the pipeline through which food is passed to the rest of the tree. It lives for only a short time then dies and turns to cork to become part of the protective outer bark. 6

8 Larval galleries girdling the tree. Vertical splits of 7-10 cm are often present over larval galleries. Severely attacked trees may exhibit crown dieback Once fully mature the adult beetles emerge through exit holds they chew through the bark. Photos courtesy of Michigan State University 7

9 How Does It Spread? Natural spread is ~400m to 700m per year. Transported by movement of infested firewood. Traveler s with campers and RV s that purchase bundles of Ash firewood at a campground, don t burn it all, and carry it home. BURN IT WHERE YOU BUY IT! 8

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11 SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED? 11% or ~2,400 of our street tree population is Ash. Our forests, parks, river banks and trail system account for tens of thousands of ash trees. The wood of the white ash is known for its unique qualities. It is pliant, strong, but light in weight. Many products are made from the wood of the white ash, including baseball bats, hockey sticks and furniture. White ash provides food for wildlife such as cardinals, finches and wood ducks. The wood of the black ash is not as strong, but has a grain look that is used for furniture. The wood of a young black ash can be split and used for basket making. Black ash is an important species for the culture of the First Nations community. 10

12 Catastrophic Results Photograph of ash trees in Toledo, Ohio, 2006 The same ash trees in Toledo, Ohio, 2009 after EAB attack 11

13 Edmundston May 25/

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15 Odell Park 14

16 Cost Implications Tree removal Tree treatment / Combination of both Loss of tree canopy = additional water runoff Cost to replant Loss of ground stabilizing roots along rivers and streams. Liability/Public safety issue if trees aren t removed in a timely manner. Will private trees be part of the program? 15

17 INFORMATION ON COSTS FROM THE EMERALD ASH BORER MANAGEMENT PLAN CITY OF PETERBOROUGH A number of municipalities were surveyed and all municipalities with confirmed EAB have an EAB plan in place or one is being created. Estimated future costs associated with these municipalities and EAB range from $2.8M to $36M. 16

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19 ARE WE PREPARED? We stopped planting Ash trees over a decade ago as this pest can move on nursery stock from infested areas. We watch for any ash tree that appears unhealthy. We use the branch sampling technique to test for EAB. We have an up-to-date inventory of our street tree population. (*not feasible Parks and Trails) We are staying up-to-date on the movement of EAB. We are removing ash trees that have structural issues and replanting with other species. We are placing traps to monitor for the presence of adult EAB. We are talking to communities that have EAB. 18

20 Questions and Comments? 19

21 European Chafer Beetle Damage 20

22 Where is it from? The European chafer is an introduced species, native to Western and Central Europe. First found in BC lower mainland in 2002 In May 2011 identified in Fredericton by RG & DM Also found in Ont., Que., NS. Probably arrived in potted plants As people share plants, they move the larvae from place to place. Less than ten years to cross Canada!! Natural movement by female flying would be < 1 km/year. 21

23 Introduced Invasive Pest Mature grubs are the size of a piece of cooked elbow macaroni. The European chafer is an introduced species, native to Western and Central Europe. It is the grub that can cause the most serious damage to turf grass. Mature grubs can reach approx. 25 mm in length. 22

24 What Does It look like? The mature adult beetles are approximately 14 mm long and a tan colour. The adults swarm in large numbers around trees at dusk in mid to late July, but will not cause significant feeding damage to plants or trees. The adult beetle is photo-positive which means it will find you if you leave an outside light on at night. 23

25 Larvae or Grub Stage Grubs eat the crown of the grass roots, killing the plant. Whole lawns can be damaged/destroyed in a two week period in early May. Most homeowners are shocked when they see the damage. 24

26 For any control plan, you need to know the Life-Cycle Third in-star Overwinter as a grub deep in the soil below frost line. Return to surface and continue feeding in May. Damage will be very apparent by mid-may. Pupate in the soil and emerge as beetle in late June, early July Adults mate and lay eggs in soil. Larvae feeds on grass roots from late July into September. 25

27 Other Facts! Female chafers lay eggs over their lifespan & eggs take 2 weeks to hatch. The grub population consists mainly of first instars in early August, second instars by late August / early September, and third instars by mid- September to late September. The most vigorous feeding occurs from late April into mid-may. Assuming 0% mortality Year 1: 20 females lay 40 eggs each. 50% females 50% males Year 2: 400 females lay 40 eggs female grubs. Year 3: 8000 females lay 40 eggs. Total of 320,000 grubs! Year 4: 160,000 females lay 6.4 million grubs 26

28 If your lawn looks like this. 27

29 And you notice additional bird and animal traffic 28

30 Do A Turf Test If animals are feasting in your lawn, there's a good chance you've got chafer beetles. Here s a simple test: Cut three sides of a 12 inch x 12 inch square patch of the problem area and roll back the turf. Look for white, c-shaped grubs about the size of a dime. Repeat up to five times in different areas. If you find more than 5 grubs per square foot, consider taking action. 29

31 Options: Apply Nematodes Beneficial nematodes are tiny parasites that enter beetle larvae and kill them. Nematodes must be applied during a specific window (late july, early august) when the grubs are young. You must keep your turf moist for a period following application. Don t apply during bright sunlight as UV kills nematodes. 30

32 Available Locally! Apply through a sprayer Covers 3000 ft 2 Water the nematodes into the lawn as UV rays kill them ~$33 at local stores 31

33 Apply nematodes soon after you see the adult beetle. Follow instructions!! 32

34 Let the predators go at the grubs...for now. If birds and raccoons are digging up your lawn, there's not much point in trying to stop them. It may be to your advantage to let them eat as many of the grubs as possible to help bring down the population before you apply nematode treatments mid-summer and start to restore your lawn. People are using contact pesticides but some of these are Neonicotinoids which kill bees and other pollinators. 33

35 Options Re-Seed Your Lawn With a lawn rake, rake up all dead and loose turf. With a garden rake, rough up the soil and reseed with a good quality grass seed mixture. Top dress with appropriate growing medium if needed. Water regularly until seed has germinated. Further water if we don t get regular rainfall. Be prepared to repeat next year if the grub population is still there. 34

36 PREVENTATIVE MEASURES Keep your grass long and healthy Chafer beetles are less likely to lay eggs in healthy grass. Regular fertilization and liming, proper aeration, and keeping grass longer will help. Mow grass at 3 or longer and use a mulching blade. 35

37 Consider Alternatives Some homeowners are replacing beetleinfested lawns with vegetable gardens, alternative landscaping and hardscaping, and even synthetic turf. For the majority who still want a lawn, microclover, tall fescue, creeping thyme are some of the hardier, beetle-resistant options. 36

38 Don't Expect a Magic Bullet There is no magic solution! A combination of good lawn care and proper nematode application can help alleviate the damage. A grass lawn is a monoculture of plants and is very susceptible to insect and disease attack. A bit of patience helps too. 37

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