[CANUFNET] ash tree question

[Oliver Reichl]

If you can find any, I’ll suggest that its okay to plant blue ash (F.
quadrangulata), which EAB doesn’t seem to like, but pass on the rest.

On Wed, Nov 3, 2021 at 3:20 PM Andrew Almas via CANUFNET <
canufnet at list.web.net> wrote:

> Hi Lorraine,
>
> Based on the conversations that I have had with numerous municipal
> employees in southern Ontario, I would say that there is nearly a consensus
> that planting ash trees is a waste of resources given the extremely high
> mortality due to EAB (within 6 years of infestation, more than 99% of the
> ash trees are dead (Klooster et al. 2014; Knight et al. 2013), and I think
> many of us are still feeling some PTSD from seeing so much of our
> urban canopy destroyed in such a short window of time.
>
> There is another intriguing point of view which has been espoused by some,
> such as University of Delaware entomologist Doug Tallamy in his 2020 book
> "Nature's Best Hope" that we should continue to plant ash and retain
> non-hazardous ash both on public and private property as a means of
> retaining ash based aspects of our food web (for instance, insects which
> can only be found on host ash trees), but also to identify and maintain
> natural resilience so ash trees may thrive in the future. I recognize that
> this is a difficult scale of objective to manage when making site specific
> planting decisions, but it is an argument against policies such as you have
> outlined in the City of Toronto which takes an extirpation approach to ash,
> which if expanded to all Ontario municipalities, counteracts any attempt at
> identifying natural resistance. The challenge of course is that
> realistically there is almost never going to be resource-based support for
> planting something which has a less than 1% chance of surviving once
> infested.....
>
> I hope that helps to 'muddy the waters'!
> Andrew
>
> On Wed, Nov 3, 2021 at 7:24 AM Lorraine Johnson via CANUFNET <
> canufnet at list.web.net> wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Apologies if this question has already been addressed by the group.
>>
>> I'm wondering whether or not you are recommending (or advising against)
>> the planting of ash trees in Ontario at this time?
>>
>> I'm aware that some municipalities (Toronto, for example) have bans on
>> the planting of ash trees on City-owned property, but my question relates
>> to recommendations for private land-holders.
>>
>> Ash trees are still for sale at nurseries. Should people plant them or
>> not in Ontario?
>>
>> I'm assuming no, but wonder if there is consensus on this.
>>
>> With thanks in advance for your thoughts,
>> Lorraine Johnson
>> Toronto, Ontario
>>
>
>
> --
> *Andrew Almas*
> Assistant Professor of Teaching
> University of British Columbia
> Department of Forest Resources Management
> Bachelors of Urban Forestry Program
> (647) 529-8867
>
-- 
Oliver K. Reichl, B.E.S.(Hons)
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