[CANUFNET] FW: News Release: Town of Oakville launches Oakville Canopy Club!

[John McNeil]

I would like to share with you our municipality's latest EAB mgt. initiative : the Oakville Canopy  Club.

It is a community outreach program to help us reach our goal of protecting 75% of the ash canopy in Oakville.
It will also become our 'brand' for other tree protection initiatives by the Forestry Section.

Here is a link to a fun photo taken at yesterday's Canopy Club launch:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oakville-Canopy-Club/152814164783519#!/photo.php?fbid=167558786642390&set=pu.152814164783519&type=1&theater


Behind this initiative is a serious effort to deliver an EAB  management strategy since 2008; it is consistent with the principles supported by the Coalition for Urban Ash Tree Conservation: http://www.emeraldashborer.info/files/conserve_ash.pdf

Here is a link to an excellent summary of the Coalition's initiative:
http://www.on-line-seminars.com/index.php?p=1_3_EAB-Management-in-Urban-Areas
It includes the " 7 Most outdated [EAB]messages."
These messages have become outdated thanks, in part, to the work of researchers mainly published since 2009; a partial list includes:

(1)Branch Sampling:  An early warning system to detect EAB in low densities : http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/pubwarehouse/pdfs/32127.pdf


(2) TreeAzin: An effective treatment: http://www.bioforest.ca/UploadedFiles/files/n_mckenzie_et_al_2010.pdf and http://www.bioforest.ca/UploadedFiles/files/s_grimalt_et_al_2011.pdf


In addition, we applied an idea from the City of Milwaukee (http://na.fs.fed.us/fhp/pubs/hottopics/10/PDF/090929%2012%20Sivyer.pdf )and used Hyperspectral imagery to map areas likely to contain ash on private property to complement our GIS based inventory of all our street and park trees + we expect to complete an inventory of our woodland properties later this year.
Other municipalities that helped include the Cities of Winnipeg and Fredericton whose success saving their Elm canopy inspired us:
http://www.winnipeg.ca/publicworks/Forestry/ded.asp and
http://www.fredericton.ca/en/environment/trees.asp


Most of our strategy ( up to 2010) has been captured in a Webinar by UNRI:  http://www.unri.org/webcasts/archive/december-2010/.... and the organizations that contributed (BioForest Technologies, Canadian Forest Service and AMEC Earth & Environmental) will be presenting at the Society of Municipal Arborist's Conference this September: http://www.urban-forestry.com/


I wish to thank those municipalities who have taken upon themselves the added role of being innovative in this subject and look forward to hearing from others who can also share future successful applications of more, new advancements in EAB management.


This leadership role is especially necessary in Canada as our senior levels of governments do not ( currently) deliver urban forestry programs……….for the Ontario folks reading this email, please join 44 others and adopt this:
http://securet.oakville.ca/eams/cache/107/gcfwee45nrmud4450ca5dw55/16183606222011045947634.PDF




Respectfully submitted,









John McNeil, RPF
Manager, Forestry Services
Parks and Open Space
Town of Oakville | 905-845-6601 ext.3395 | f: 905-338-4227 | www.oakville.ca<http://www.oakville.ca/>

[cid:image95b597.JPG at 4a89090c.408c56a3]
Vision: To be the most livable town in Canada
ü Please consider the environment before printing this email.
http://www.oakville.ca/privacy_statement.htm

From: Janine Ivings
Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 3:35 PM
To: _Members of Council
Cc: _Management; ServiceOakville; Michael Mendel; Tariq Remtulla; Elizabeth Tamas
Subject: News Release: Town of Oakville launches Oakville Canopy Club!

The following news release has been distributed to our media partners.

Town of Oakville launches Oakville Canopy Club!
Leading the municipal battle against the Emerald Ash Borer infestation

Oakville, June 21, 2011 – for immediate release
With almost 180,000 ash trees at risk, the Town of Oakville is pushing forward on a bold campaign to battle the invasion of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Mayor Rob Burton, Members of Council and the Eco Club students from River Oaks Public School launched the Oakville Canopy Club, an innovative community outreach program that encourages residents to save Oakville’s tree canopy from the threat of EAB.

“To become an Oakville Canopy Club member, simply like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. It’s that easy,” Oakville Mayor Rob Burton said. “The goal of the Oakville Canopy Club is to inspire residents to join the cause and prove just how passionate this town is about saving its trees.”

More than 20 Eco Club students decked out in Oakville Canopy Club t-shirts learned first-hand about the importance of trees and the environmental impact that EAB would have on Oakville’s urban forest if the town had chosen not to fight back. As part of the official launch, Forestry staff presented an interactive tutorial to educate students about EAB and demonstrated an ash tree injection with the bio-insecticide TreeAzin that protects the tree and manages the spread of EAB.

“It’s so exciting for our school to be a part of the Oakville Canopy Club,” said Karen Blackwell, vice-principal at River Oaks Public School. “These students are the future of Oakville and we support the town in its goal to save Oakville’s tree canopy so that future generations can reap its benefits. Our students appreciate the opportunity to help spread the word.”

Oakville’s newly launched EAB website at www.oakville.ca/eab.htm<http://www.oakville.ca/eab.htm> provides residents with the tools required to deal with EAB including an interactive map that plots the location of ash trees on both public and private property.

“Whether you have an ash tree or not, you can become a Canopy Club Champion,” explained Mayor Burton “Treat your ash trees, remove dead or dying trees and dispose of them properly, replant a new species of tree, like us on Facebook, but most importantly, tell anyone who will listen. How you help save Oakville’s tree canopy is limited only to your imagination.”

The town’s 2011 EAB Program and Canopy Cover Conservation Approach to EAB Management report, approved by Council on Monday night provides a detailed summary of the town’s position in managing EAB. The town's goal is to protect 75 per cent of the ash canopy cover on the public road allowance and active parks from EAB. Eighty per cent of Oakville's treatable ash tree canopy is on private property. Ash trees which are still healthy and structurally sound can be saved if residents know about them and choose to treat them. According to Oakville’s management strategy, 25 per cent of Oakville’s ash trees will be removed because they are so heavily infested that they cannot be saved.

“The town plans to replace dead or dying trees with a new species of tree to meet Oakville’s canopy cover objective of 40 per cent by 2057,” Chris Mark, director of Parks and Open Space said. “This 75/25 option offers the most flexibility for EAB management going forward. If there are more scientific advances made in EAB management, we’ll be in a strong position to take advantage of them.”

To date, Oakville has ceased new planting of ash trees; implemented an EAB trapping project; executed canopy conservation by under planting new species of trees; treated select municipal ash trees with TreeAzin; performed leading-edge EAB research with several partner organizations; became the first municipality in Canada to comprehensively define distribution of EAB throughout a community; and undertaken a tree inventory project. Staff will continue lobbying other levels of government and are incorporating new treatment alternatives as they become available.

Having made its way from Asia in 2002, EAB is a metallic green-coloured beetle that has eaten its way through more than 20 million indigenous ash trees in Canada and the United States. Its presence in Oakville was first confirmed in July 2008 in the vicinity of Eighth Line and Falgarwood Drive. To learn more about Oakville’s Canopy Club and what Oakville’s doing to manage EAB check out www.oakville.ca/eab.htm<http://www.oakville.ca/eab.htm>, visit us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


-30-

For more information:
Janine Ivings
Senior Communications Advisor
Town of Oakville
905-845-6601, ext. 3005
jivings at oakville.ca<mailto:jivings at oakville.ca>

Janine Ivings
Senior Communications Advisor
Strategy, Policy and Communications
Town of Oakville | 905-845-6601 ext.3005 | f: 905-338-4259 | www.oakville.ca<http://www.oakville.ca/>

[cid:imagee2ef8e.JPG at 65d92e8d.439fa6ae]
Vision: To be the most livable town in Canada
ü Please consider the environment before printing this email.
http://www.oakville.ca/privacy_statement.htm
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