Transporting firewood banned to curb spread of ash borer

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Tuesday that it has banned the transportation of firewood out of Ottawa and Gatineau to help stop the spread of the emerald ash borer beetle.

The CFIA's website described the emerald ash borer as a destructive insect that attacks and kills ash trees. The site also said that the beetle has already killed millions of ash trees in southwestern Ontario and the United States.

The regulations restrict the movement of ash tree materials, but also of all other varieties of firewood because that's the key way the beetle is spread, said the CFIA.

"The Emerald Ash Borer poses a serious threat to our forest cover in both urban and rural Ottawa," Peter Hume, chair of the city's planning and environment committee, said in a news release.

About 25 per cent of the region's tree canopy is made up of ash trees, Hume said.

"The city has a plan to manage the impact of the emerald ash borer and will begin an extensive program of planting new trees this spring in areas where we have an abundance of ash trees," he said.

The CFIA's restrictions also apply to the areas in and around Toronto, Sault Ste. Marie and Carignan, Que., and the ministerial order includes the transportation of wood chips, logs and other ash tree products.

The ash borer beetle first appeared in Ottawa last summer.

David Barkley, the manager of the city's forestry services, said if Ottawa and Gatineau residents want to buy firewood, they should think very carefully about their purchase.

"If you need firewood, buy it locally. If you're going to a cottage or campsite, buy your wood there and burn it all before you leave," he said.

"Moving a single piece of infested wood could have dire consequences for our regional forests."