A community-based monitoring project for early detection of emerald ash borer in Alberta

Your help is needed to monitor ash trees in your community and report signs and symptoms of declining health caused by an invasive wood-boring beetle that attacks and kills ash trees. The emerald ash borer (EAB), since it was detected in 2002 in eastern Canada and the United States, has killed tens of millions of ash trees across North America.

Municipalities and districts throughout Alberta have high numbers of ash planted along their street boulevards and open green spaces. These ash trees are now at risk of being lost and immediate action is needed.

The photo below shows a street in Toledo, Ohio, before and after EAB infestation. This transformation took place in only 3 years, between 2006 and 2009.

How can you help? Monitoring and Reporting is easy. Once you are familiar with the symptoms and signs of EAB, you can match them to those ash trees in your neighbourhood and/or surrounding areas. Reporting your specific concerns to the appropriate authorities will make a significant difference toward early detection and responsive containment efforts.

Collective efforts will give Alberta municipalities the best chance to slow its spread and protect our urban forests.

Why your support is vital for the future sustainability of our urban forests

Ecological and Environmental:

Ash trees play a life-sustaining role in our cities. They are essential for:

supporting and sustaining biodiversity and resilient ecosystems
they provide food and shelter for hundreds of species of insects, including pollinators, birds, and mammals
support entire food webs and diverse microhabitats
provide essential ecoservices that sustain our quality of life by cooling our communities, cleaning the air we breath by absorbing carbon dioxide, harmful gases like nitrogen oxides and ozone, producing oxygen and are key to managing stormwater/overland flooding

Social Well-being:

Ash trees are key in contributing:

to strengthening community connections by encouraging social interaction, fostering stronger relationships between neighbours and increasing feelings of safety
in the promotion of physical activity and recreation with measureable positive impacts to our mental well-being such as reduced stress and anxiety. This can lead to healthy heart rates and blood pressure
to beneficial impacts on road safety, reduce crime rates and incidences of violence
to beautifying our living spaces

Economic:

Alongside roads, underground infrastructure, and buildings, city trees are included in the same municipal management framework, reflecting their equal importance in maintaining a safe, efficient, and resilient city for all people. The ecoservices they provide can be quantified in terms of carbon storage and sequestration, improved air quality, reduced energy use (shade, windbreak), stormwater interception, and increased property values. Urban forest ecoservices are central to municipal climate adaptation and resiliency frameworks.

In the City of Edmonton, there are approximately 180,000 public and private ash trees. They represent 20% of all boulevard trees and are valued at $390 Million (City of Edmonton UFAMP, 2021). In the City of Calgary, there are approximately 70,000 public with even more privately-owned ash trees (CBC, 2024)
Valued in the billions, the ecoservices these assets provide support the efficient functioning of cities. For the City of Edmonton, these benefits are valued at over $2.7 Billion (City of Edmonton UFAMP, 2021). In the City of Calgary, their canopy cover value is estimated at $1.3 billion (Nagy, A. Avenue Calgary, 2021)
Rural ash shelterbelts shield homes, gardens, buildings and keep roads accessible from northwesterly winds, snow and overland flooding. They protect our rich agricultural soils and nutrients from erosion and severe droughts. Over two million ash trees have been planted in rural shelterbelt areas since the program started. These stands of ash trees are at risk
Tree nursery operations have made significant production investments in supplying ash tree species throughout Alberta for numerous municipalities. Recent commitments are estimated at $10 Million