The provincial Environment Department is taking aim at a bug that can devastate ash trees.
The emerald ash borer has not shown up in Saskatchewan yet, and the government wants to keep it that way.
It has listed the bug as a designated insect pest, giving the Environment Department the authority to implement regulatory and control measures. This is similar to what is in place for Dutch elm, which is spread by a beetle.
A key step is to prohibit transportation of firewood and wood products into Saskatchewan from infested areas.
The insect is originally from Asia, but it was detected in Winnipeg last year, which is the furthest west it has been found so far. The province has been carefully watching the spread of the ash borer for the past 10 years.
Ash trees grow in some areas in the eastern part of Saskatchewan’s provincial forest.
(PHOTO: Emerald ash borer beetle. Photo courtesy of Saskatchewan Environment Department.)