socastcmsRssStart93.3 myFM News/Classic Rock staffsocastcmsRssEnd
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has expanded its regulated zone for the hemlock woolly adelgid, a destructive invasive insect, to include several new areas of Ontario — including the Township of Alnwick Haldimand in Northumberland County. The new restrictions also cover Niagara Region, Haldimand County, and the City of Hamilton.
The expansion follows detections of the pest outside the previously regulated zone and is part of ongoing efforts to slow its spread.
Hemlock woolly adelgid kills trees by feeding on nutrients and water storage cells at the base of needles. Infestations weaken and eventually kill hemlocks, a tree species that plays a crucial role in protecting watersheds, streams, and forest biodiversity.
Under the new rules, hemlock wood, branches, nursery stock, and woodchips — as well as any type of firewood — cannot be moved out of the regulated zone unless authorized by CFIA. The agency stresses that moving untreated firewood is one of the most common ways invasive pests spread.
Hemlock woolly adelgid can also travel naturally by wind, birds, and animals, making prevention critical. The CFIA is working with federal, provincial, municipal, and Indigenous partners to protect forests in Ontario and across Canada.
Residents are asked not to move firewood and to report any signs of infestation to CFIA.
More information is available through the agency’s website.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)
