March 15, 2009
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced on Feb. 27 that it has confirmed the presence of the emerald ash borer (EAB) in the City of Hamilton. The infested trees are located in the Upper Wentworth Street and Concession Street area.

The CFIA says it will carry out increased surveying of trees in the area to determine the extent of the infestation. Affected property owners will be notified. Regulatory measures to control the spread of this pest will be based on information obtained through the surveys.

Although there have been numerous finds of this pest in Ontario and one location in Quebec, the CFIA continues to work with its partners and stakeholders towards the goal of slowing its spread.

The CFIA continues to emphasize that the key challenge to limit the spread of this beetle is to get people to stop moving infested wood materials such as logs, branches, nursery stock, and chips to non-infested locations.