Save our Ash!

 While the highly-damaging Emerald Ash Borer Beetle has NOT been found in Brandon to date, its presence has been confirmed in Winnipeg. As one of the foremost ways EAB can be spread is through the transportation of firewood, Brandon residents are being reminded: DON’T MOVE FIREWOOD – BUY LOCAL, BURN LOCAL. Approximately 100 ash trees along Rosser Avenue in downtown Brandon have been wrapped with a bright green educational band that warns of the dangers of moving firewood and how it can spread Emerald Ash Borer through a community. These banded trees represent merely a fraction of the thousands of ash trees that exist in Brandon and could be at risk if EAB is brought into the community. Permanent educational signage placed in Brandon’s riverside parks (Queen Elizabeth Park and Dinsdale Park) last fall also remind the public of the importance of NOT transporting recreational firewood to help prevent the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer beetle. In addition to these educational initiatives, the City of Brandon conducts an annual Emerald Ash Borer monitoring program, which includes the installation of pheromone traps in City-owned ash trees across the community each summer, as well as regular visual inspections and branch sampling done by staff.