Rattway Marsh seeks support from the public

  • 2014-04-27
Each year, Mississauga’s Rattray Marsh plays host to nearly 40,000 visitors, but a crisis is looming and Credit Valley Conservation is calling on them for help.

The area has recently become infested with the green ash borer, which arrived in Ontario in 2005 and has been spreading northwards ever since.

First detected in the marsh in 2008, the larvae of this beetle feed on the layers beneath the outer bark of ash trees. This cuts off their supply of food and water, which kills the tree.

Rattray is especially susceptible, because over 80% of its trees are ash. This makes it very easy for the insect to spread.

The good news for fans of the conservation area is that there is a solution to the problem; infected trees are removed, and those that show no Signs of the beetle can be treated by being inoculated with a substance called ‘TreeAzin’, which is derived from the seeds of the tropical neem tree. This prevents the larvae from being able to grow.

The treatment was developed, in part, by National Resources Canada. However, the problem is that at $200 per tree, this is very expensive, so the public is being called on for help.

Credit Valley Conservation is launching an awareness campaign, and will also be holding an information session that will be open to the public.

Print companies can help by creating Signs that explain the control measures being taken, and also what visitors to the marsh can do to help.
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