Ash Borer Could Be Eating Ottawa Trees for Half a Year

As the invasive emerald ash borer threatens parts of the U.S. and Canada, some residents may be waiting a while for their infested trees to be removed.

In Ottawa, local trees that have been infiltrated by the devouring beetle may remain standing for as long as half a year, CBC News reported. With around 4,400 trees on the removal list, residents could be waiting between four and six months before forestry services can cut down and remove the infested trees.

City crews have cut down around 15,000 trees since the invasive Asian beetle was first seen in Ottawa in 2009, according to David Barkley, the city's forestry services manager.

The wait time on tree removal is part of the city's system to promote efficiency, he said.

"We try and go in and do all of the streets at the same time," he told CBC News. "There will be times when one homeowner may call; we won't mark that tree right away. We might wait and mark the whole street at the same time."

Tree removal services, which also involve replanting with new trees, cost municipal taxpayers $4.5 million annually.

In Johnson County, Kan., public works officials have said that tree removal to fight the ash borer should begin in the fall, local news website Prairie Village Post reported. The city's plan is to remove around 100 trees starting in September, a project expected to cost about $50,000.

Wisconsin and Iowa have also been preparing to combat the insect.

The non-native beetle, which comes from Asia, was first found in Detroit in 2002 and has since spread to more than a dozen states as well as parts of Canada. It can destroy whole forests and works by eating through the vital parts of a tree's inner bark that hold water and nutrients.