On the heels of Sarnia's ash trees falling victim to the emerald ash borer, the city's forestry department is worried about another invasive species on our doorstep.
Parks and forestry manager Patti Ross says oak wilt, a lethal fungal disease that spreads by insects of tree root connections, has surfaced across the river in St. Clair County, Michigan and Belle Isle Park Michigan near Windsor.
"We're really going to be encouraging people to please not prune their oak trees between the first of April and the end of July, that is when it's most likely to be transmitted by the bug when it gets here and to please not transport firewood," says Ross. "That is one of our biggest things that spreads disease."
Oak wilt can kill trees rapidly in a single season and could be very devastating in northend areas of the city.
"You get into a place like Tarzan Land in Canatara [Park], the disease can go down through the tree and spread through the roots," says Ross. "So if you have a mass planting, that's a big threat."
Ross says the threat is very concerning because Sarnia's tree canopy as a whole isn't in the best of health.
"Our Norway Maples, which were 40%, have really been suffering stress over the hot summers and cold winters. So, we're seeing a lot of signs of them distressed -- they're dying, they're diseased, they have dead limbs," she says. "So, the oak wilt on top of all of these things is bad news."
Ross says oak wilt predominantly affects red and black oaks, adding that white oaks are a bit more resistant.