Mar 20, 2025 11:00 AM to 1:30 pm Pacific Time
Attention landscapers and arborists, local government managers or practitioners! In Spring 2024, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed the first detection of Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) in British Columbia.
This invasive beetle has devastated ash tree populations across North America, significantly impacting urban canopies and street tree diversity. If you are curious to know more about Emerald ash borer, please register to join us on March 20th for a seminar co-hosted by the Invasive Species Council of BC and the BC Landscape and Nursery Association. Come and learn from experts about this pest’s biology, impacts, and current regulations from the CFIA, management strategies from Lallemand Plant Care, the plans for this pest in Vancouver from municipal staff, along with experiences from both the cities of Winnipeg and Ottawa, and finally wrap up with an engaging facilitated session.
Speakers
Troy Kimoto – Survey Biologist – Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Detecting emerald ash borer in Vancouver via branch sampling.
Summary: This presentation will provide an introduction to emerald ash borer including native and introduced distribution, hosts, signs/symptoms and impacts. It will also discuss the detection of this invasive wood borer in Vancouver via branch sampling. The pros, cons and lessons learned about branch sampling will also be discussed.
In the late 90s, Troy did his Masters of Pest Management at Simon Fraser University in forest entomology, followed by 2 years of employment within the forest health industry. He started working for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in 2001 and has been in his current role as Plant Health Survey Biologist since 2002. In July of that year, he met his career nemesis when emerald ash borer was discovered in Canada for the 1st time in Windsor, Ontario. Since then, the elusiveness of detecting EAB has shaped how he develops survey procedures for invasive pests. As a survey biologist, his responsibilities include: developing survey procedures for plant pests; survey planning and training; providing scientific support to CFIA staff and external stakeholders; coordinating invasive species research within Canada and overseas; and producing outreach products for regulated plant pests.
Elsa Cousineau – Technical Specialist, Allison Craig – Manager, Urban Forest Health – Lallemand Plant Care
Save Your Ash: Strategies for Early Intervention in EAB and Ash Management
Summary: Early detection and proactive management of EAB helps prioritize high-risk areas, reduces overall costs, and increases the success of treatments by preserving tree health and minimizing long-term removal expenses.
Allison Craig
Allison is a Registered Professional Forester with over 15 years of experience in private consulting, municipal government, and the non-profit sector. She holds a Master of Forest Conservation from the University of Toronto and is an ISA Certified Urban Forest Professional®. She leads a variety of projects focused on urban forest pest management, forest health, and public engagement, and has been working with EAB in southern Ontario for over a decade.
Elsa Cousineau
Elsa has been the Lallemand Plant Care Forestry technical representative since 2015, offering guidance and support to municipalities, conservation areas, and tree care companies on urban forest pest management. She has over 15 years of experience in arboriculture, specializing in plant healthcare.
Kerienne La France- Supervisor of Forestry Technical Services
Status update on Emerald Ash Borer in Winnipeg
Summary: EAB was first confirmed in Winnipeg in 2018. Since that time, the City of Winnipeg has been working with a number of tools in an effort to minimize the spread of EAB and to better understand the impact of EAB on its ash-dominated urban canopy. We will share our experience with the initiatives deployed so far, and what changes are being considered for the future.
Jason Pollard – Section Manager, Parks Maintenance and Forestry Services
City of Ottawa – Emerald Ash Borer in Ottawa – Lessons Learned
Summary: Experiences from a municipal urban forest manager’s perspective on the evolution of the emerald ash borer infestation in Ottawa and the municipal response plan. The presentation will cover response programs and operational considerations as the infestation moved from discovery of EAB to post-outbreak.
Jason Pollard is a Section Manager with Parks Maintenance and Forestry Services with the City of Ottawa. Jason has a Bachelor Science in Forestry (B.Sc.F) from the University of New Brunswick; a Master of Environmental Science (M.Env.Sci.) from the Memorial University of Newfoundland; and is a Registered Professional Forester (R.P.F.) in Ontario. Jason’s forestry career in Ontario has included work with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and he has now worked 15 years in urban forestry with the City of Ottawa.
Sophie Dessureault and Hayley Chan – Integrated Pest Management Coordinators
City of Vancouver – EAB In Vancouver: Where Shall We Begin?
Summary: The initial detection of any invasive species poses its own unique challenges. EAB has been around in southern Ontario for over 20 years at this point, but what does its arrival on the west coast of Canada mean for locals? IPM Coordinators Sophie and Hayley will discuss Vancouver’s upcoming plans for EAB management.
Hayley Chan
Hayley is an Integrated Pest Management Coordinator with the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation. Since 2018, she has been involved in the eradication efforts of the Popillia japonica beetle, initially as a private contractor and as of 2023, with local government. Currently, she works with a team to manage a wide variety of insect pests, wildlife, weeds, fungi, and diseases across Vancouver’s 250+ parks and green spaces.
Sophie Dessureault
Sophie is the Integrated Pest Management Coordinator for the Vancouver Park Board. Working in this role since 1997, she develops and implements policies and procedures to deal with the various pest problems found in the city’s many facilities, parks, and plantings. Most recently her responsibilities have included managing projects such as developing the Vancouver Park Board’s Invasive Species Management Strategy and completing a city-wide invasive plants species inventory.
