Canadian authorities say the emerald ash borer has been found in Cornwall and the local planners say the beetle could devastate Ogdensburg’s tree canopy, should it cross the St. Lawrence River.

According to the St. Lawrence Environmental Planning Council, emerald ash borers (EABs) have been spreading across the country since they were first discovered in the U.S. near Detroit, Mich. in 2002.

The invasive beetle infests and kills North American ash trees; all native ash trees are susceptible. While ash trees comprise less than 10 percent of the overall tree canopy in New York State, in many North Country villages and urban areas they can make up almost 25 percent of tree cover.

According to the council, losing that many trees in a community over a short five-to-ten-year period would be extremely expensive, and would severely damage the appearance of affected communities.

“Although this insect has done tremendous damage to the environment in Michigan and other states, the ash trees in New York are different,” Patrick T. Whalen, Supervising Forester with the Potsdam office of the DEC said. “We have more ash, and individual ash trees here are much bigger. So the impact will probably be greater here – but it is very hard to predict.”

Canadian authorities announced in June 2013 that the EAB has been found in Cornwall, Ontario. Whalen reported that the EAB has also been found in Mallorytown, Ontario, across from Chippewa Bay. From there the insect could easily island-hop across the St. Lawrence River into our County.

The NYS DEC has charted outbreak areas within the state; Onondaga County has seen the closest outbreak to St. Lawrence County.

DEC has established a quarantine covering the southern and central portions of the state, setting restrictions on intrastate movement of ash trees or any part of ash trees, ash lumber or logs, firewood of any tree species, and wood chips and mulch from any tree species.

In addition to those quarantine regulations, DEC requires firewood to be obtained within 50 miles of where it will be used.

This will help to prevent the spread of EAB or other pests. Firewood must be labeled to identify its source; if cut from your own property, it must have a Self-Issued Certificate of Origin, available at http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/selfisscert.pdf. Whalen said the most common method of translocation is for ash borers is to “hitch rides with firewood.”

For private landowners, especially homeowners in the City of Ogdensburg, as well as densely-populated villages and hamlets, the St. Lawrence County Environmental Management Council recommends these actions:

• Know what you own. Can you identify the species all of the trees on your property? Do you know which are ash trees?

• Help your neighbors to identify their ash trees.

• If you do have ash trees, are they located near structures, near power lines, etc.? Think about preventive maintenance for these trees, such as trimming branches to reduce risks to adjacent structures or power lines.

• If your ash tree(s) is/are damaged, consult with an arborist. It may be better to plan for eventually taking the tree down on your schedule and within your budget, rather than waiting for it to become a hazard.

• Keep aware of the problem. If and when the emerald ash borer is found in St. Lawrence County, it will be publicly announced. At that point, you will be asked to inspect your ash trees closely. At that point, you may be able to treat your ash trees with one of several insecticides or biocontrols that are being researched now.

For more information on the emerald ash borer, you can visit http://www.stlawco.org/Departments/Planning/AdvisoryBoards/EnvironmentalManagementCouncil.