By JIMMY LAWTON

OGDENSBURG – The city is urging woodland owners to take precautions as the emerald ash borer has arrived in St. Lawrence County.

In a public update the council helped promote an upcoming meeting at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Learning Farm, 2043 B State Highway 68, Canton.

The meeting will be held at 5:45 p.m. and continue until 8 p.m.

Anyone interested in attending should RSVP by calling 315-379-0926 ext. 232 or emailing ph59@cornell.edu.

The meeting is being organized by Cornell Cooperative Extension, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Since the green beetle arrived from Asia in 2002 it has destroyed 50 million trees in the United States and cost a total of $20 billion in damage.

When an ash borer damages trees they become brittle and dangerous.

The trees become unstable and can fall without losing branches. He said they become a greater liability during wind, snow and ice storms and have great potential to knock out power lines or damage vehicles, homes or other structures.

The city has been working to remove ash trees to avoid liability from damage caused by the ash borer.