News : General News
Invasive Species' Harm is a Horror Show Happening Before Our Eyes
July 27, 2010 -- The beetle has won the battle.
That's really not a surprise to anyone, including London city council.
The Asian beetle, the emerald ash borer (EAB), which likely arrived in a wooden pallet delivering parts from abroad to North America, had already laid waste to millions of ash trees in Michigan and other Midwest states, then Windsor and Chatham before it arrived in London a few years ago. Efforts to contain it have failed.
It's estimated there are 10,000 ash trees lining city boulevards and managed parks and it will cost the city about $10 million to remove and replace them. It will cost residents many millions more since about 10% of the city's 4.4 million trees are ash on private lots.
Whatever the cost, the city has no option but to remove the ash trees as they die, or risk lawsuits when the branches or the trees inevitably fall.
The Asian carp, a short swim away from the Great Lakes in Illinois' inland waterways, is likely the next big problem this area will have to deal with. Its impact will be even more significant than the emerald ash borer as it will eventually overwhelm our waterways and native fish stocks, possibly ruining the region's $7-billion commercial and sport fishing industry. Read the full story to get the details.
"Governments on either side of the U.S.-Canada border seem unable or unwilling to find solutions to deal with invasive species."
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