Dead Ash trees getting yanked and replaced in Niagara Falls

Niagara Parks will soon be yanking dead Ash trees along the Niagara Parkway that couldn’t withstand the scourge of the Emerald Ash Borer, a beetle-like insect that spells doom for the tree species.

Increasingly becoming a problem province-wide, the Emerald Ash Borer feeds on ash species with females laying eggs in bark crevices on ash trees, and larvae feed underneath the bark of ash trees to emerge as adults in one to two years.

So Niagara Parks will be removing dead ash trees within the woodlot along the Niagara Parkway at Service Road 30 in Niagara Falls, near Legends on the Niagara, beginning March 13.

However, rather than replant Ash trees, which could possibly succumb to a similar fate, the park service will plant a variety of native tree species, ranging in size, including maple, oak, hickory, and walnut at a three-to-one ration, meaning simply for ever tree they yank, three more will replace it.

Niagara Parks said the dying Ash trees are not an immediate hazard, “the trees that have been identified for removal pose a potential safety risk if left standing, due to their proximity to the Niagara River Recreation Trail.”

Over the course of the next month, contractors will be onsite felling trees, cutting branches and mulching to remove any hazards. However, the work might mean temporary closures of portions of the recreation trail.

“Trail users are asked to take precautions and avoid use of the trail while forestry work is in progress. Signage will be posted to indicate when work will occur,” said Niagara Parks.