Ash Tree (EAB) Removal · Cambridge
Ash Tree Removal in Cambridge
The emerald ash borer was first found in Waterloo Region in the woodlands at the 401 and Homer Watson, half of them on the Cambridge side. The city has been losing its ash ever since, and the dead ones are still standing in back yards across every ward.
Cambridge planted ash by the thousand through the seventies and eighties, on new streets and in new back yards, for the same reasons every Ontario city did: quick growth, tolerance of clay and salt, a tidy crown. The emerald ash borer, whose larvae feed in the layer under the bark until the tree is girdled, was first confirmed in the region in two woodlands on either side of Highway 401 at Homer Watson Boulevard, on the Cambridge and Kitchener sides, and the City's forestry page describes it as now well established across Cambridge. The City's own count was more than 4,000 infested trees out of roughly 55,000 street trees, and it has been removing its ash in order of infestation and structural condition under an action plan Council approved in June 2015. The private ash, in yards and along fence lines, has gone the same way without a plan, and much of it is dead and still standing.
Why a dead ash is a different removal
Borer-killed ash does not stand quietly like a dead oak. The wood dries, cracks and loses strength fast, the bark comes away in sheets, and limbs shear at the trunk under their own weight. Two or three years after death the tree is no longer safe for a climber, because the anchor points cannot be trusted. That pushes the work to a bucket truck where one can reach, or a crane where it cannot, and on the steep and narrow lots of Galt, Preston and Hespeler a crane from the street is often the only answer. The longer a dead ash stands, the more it costs and the more dangerous it is, which is why the honest advice is to take it down this season.
The by-law and dead ash
A dead ash is still a private tree under By-law 23-105 if it is 20 cm or more in diameter, but dead trees are exempt from the permit once a removal request with a photo, the location, species and diameter has gone to the City and been approved. There is no arborist report and no replacement requirement for a dead tree. An ash that is dying but not yet dead is a judgement call: a declining tree that is now a hazard goes through the imminent-hazard route with a professional assessment, while one that still has most of its crown and that you simply want gone is a full permit with replacement planting. We tell you which it is on the site visit rather than guessing.
Signs the tree is on its way
- Thinning from the top down and dieback of the upper branches.
- Dense sprouts from the trunk and base.
- D-shaped exit holes around 3 to 4 mm across.
- Bark splitting and heavy woodpecker activity.
- Serpentine larval galleries under lifted bark.
Where the wood goes
Ash wood is federally regulated here. Under the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's emerald ash borer rules, the Regional Municipality of Waterloo is a regulated area and no ash log, branch, bark or stick of ash firewood leaves it without the CFIA's written consent; yard waste is caught by the same restriction. So the brush goes through the chipper, the logs are disposed of inside the region or cut to length and left for your own fireplace, and nothing is loaded for the cottage. Firewood on a trailer is how the beetle crossed the province.
Treat or remove
An ash that still has most of its crown can be held indefinitely with injection treatment every one to two years, and for a big specimen shading a house that can be worth the ongoing cost, especially in Cambridge where removing it means a permit and replacement trees. Once the crown is more than about a third gone the tree will not recover its structure and removal becomes the sensible call.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to remove a dead ash in Cambridge?
Not a permit, but the City asks for a dead-tree removal request first with a photo, location, species and diameter, and approves it before the tree comes down. No arborist report and no replacement planting apply to a dead tree. We submit it as part of the job.
Is it safe to leave a dead ash for another year?
The longer it stands the less of it a climber can trust, and the sooner the job becomes a crane job at a crane price. Anywhere it could land on a house, a neighbour's yard, a sidewalk or a riverbank path, take it down this season.
Can I keep the ash as firewood?
Yes, to burn at home inside Waterloo Region. The CFIA rule prohibits moving ash wood out of the regulated area, which rules out taking it to a cottage. We can buck the logs to stove length.
Serving Cambridge and surrounding areas. Contact us for a no-obligation quote specific to your property.