Ausable Bayfield Conservation urges people to help prevent Oak wilt spread
People can help prevent spread of fungal disease by not pruning Oak trees between April and November, and by not transporting firewood
A fungal disease called Oak wilt has been detected in southern Ontario. Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) staff urge you to help prevent the spread of Oak wilt. People can help by not transporting firewood and by avoiding the pruning of Oak trees between April and November.
Oak wilt grows in the sapwood of Oak trees. Recently, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced Oak wilt has been detected in Niagara Falls and in the Township of Springwater, near Barrie. While the disease is new to Ontario, it has been known from the Midwest United States since the 1940s.
Red Oak trees are particularly susceptible, resulting in tree death within a single season. All Oak species can get the disease but in White and Bur Oak trees the disease is not always fatal and is sometimes limited to branch dieback.
Experience from the U.S. Midwest provides us with knowledge on how to reduce the spread and impact of the disease. Oak wilt moves slowly on its own. However, Oak wilt can be moved long distances when people move infected firewood from one location to another.
“Transporting firewood is the main way that Oak wilt is introduced to a new location,” said Ian Jean, ABCA Forestry Specialist. “We need to get the message out to not move firewood,” he said. “When visiting or vacationing please use local sources of firewood.” Transporting firewood from other areas of Ontario, to campgrounds or cottages, increases the risk of introducing the disease locally.
Oak wilt may spread short distances when fungal spores are moved by sap feeding insects from an infected tree to a freshly pruned or injured Oak tree. The current CFIA guidelines are to avoid pruning Oak trees between April and November, except for emergency purposes. The Ontario Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture has relevant guidelines for Certified Arborists and tree service providers.
Once a tree is infected, the fungus moves very efficiently from an infected Oak tree to a healthy Oak tree through grafted root systems. “It is common for trees to form root connections with nearby trees of the same species,” Ian said. “Unfortunately, this trait enables the fungus to spread through root grafts such that any Oak tree with a root connection to a diseased Oak tree will get the disease.”
According to the Invasive Species Centre, symptoms of Oak wilt usually appear in July and include leaf drop that starts at the top of the tree and progresses to the bottom. Similarly, the dying leaves show browning that starts at the tip of the leaf and progresses toward the base or stem of the leaf. Suspected cases of Oak wilt can be reported to Invasive Species Hotline 1-800-563-7711 or to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency via their online form.
It is important to note that in areas of the United States, where Oak wilt has been present for several decades, it has not resulted in total loss of Oak. There are still healthy Oak trees, and Oak continues to be a major proportion of natural and urban forests throughout the U.S. Midwest. However, in local areas where Oak wilt becomes established, considerable effort and expense must be undertaken to remove and destroy infected trees and to sever underground root grafts to prevent the disease from spreading from tree to tree.
Forests make up just more than 14 per cent of the land cover across the Ausable Bayfield watershed according the Ausable Bayfield Watershed Report Card (2023). Oaks are an important component of local forests, which contribute towards watershed health and resilience. Not only do they produce acorns, a high value food source for wildlife, Oaks also host many leaf-eating caterpillars and insects that, in turn, feed birds and small mammals.
“Fortunately, we do have ways to prevent the spread of Oak wilt,” Ian said. “Please leave your firewood at home,” he said. “There is a supply of firewood available when you arrive at your destination.”
Learn more:
|
|
Staff donate to local charities
Participating staff at Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) contribute to a Dress-Down Day Fund. As contributors to this charitable fund, they donate to the community and they get to dress casually on Fridays.
The staff have decided to donate the money they have raised, over the past year, to two charitable causes: to Huron Stewardship Council (HSC) towards turtle hatchling release and to Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation (ABCF) towards the South Huron Trail fundraising initiative.
On behalf of the staff, ABCA Communications Specialist Tim Cumming (third from left in photo), presents cheques for $312 each to the two organizations. Accepting the cheque, on behalf of HSC, are Natasha Dobos, field technician, and Sheldon Paul, fieldwork coordinator. Accepting on behalf of the Conservation Foundation is ABCF Chair Dave Frayne.
|
|
Healthy Hikes campaign shows how important trees, forests are
This week, Ausable Bayfield Conservation joins conservation authorities across Ontario in promoting Healthy Hikes and the value of trees and forests as " ... more than just trees."
All week long, on our four social media platforms, we are posting about the value of trees and forests.
This public information campaign shares how:
- Trees are nature’s air conditioners. Trees keep our homes cooler in summer and save us money! Shade trees give us a break from the heat and help protect our skin from harmful UV rays.
- Forests filter water. Trees slow down water going into rivers and streams. Trees remove some impurities for more, cleaner water for communities and ecosystems.
- Time spent in nature correlates with a drop in anxiety and depression. Two hours of green time each week improves health and well-being.
- Wildlife need trees for food, water, cover and places to raise their young. Birds and small mammals depend on snags, dead and dying trees, for nests, nurseries, storage areas, foraging, roosting & perching
- With 3,500 km of trails, conservation areas in Ontario offer calming benefits of nature, hiking, strolling, or observing wildlife
Act for Trees
Here are some actions you can take as a result of these posts:
#StepIntoNature #HealthyHikes #ConservationAreas
|
|
More than 50 people subscribe this month to Ausable Bayfield Conservation YouTube channel
We would like to thank the more than 50 people who subscribed, in July, to our Ausable Bayfield Conservation You Tube channel.
Thanks to your interest, we now have the ninth most YouTube subscriptions among Ontario's 36 conservation authorities. By subscribing, it helps you to see new videos as they are posted.
Videos on our YouTube channel and our Facebook page have received more than 130,000 views, thanks to all of you.
If you have not checked out our channel, we encourage you to do so for videos about protecting water, soil and habitat for all living things.
If you have already subscribed, we thank you.
If you have not yet subscribed, we encourage you to do so now.
Check out the top 25 videos on our channel:
We hope you enjoy them and we hope you learn more about the work taking place, in partnership with the community, to protect life and property and to protect watershed resources.
|
|
|
|
Disc golf course at Clinton Conservation Area closed in interest of public safety
Closure of disc golf course at Clinton Conservation Area took effect on July 20, 2023
There is no more disc golf at Clinton Conservation Area. The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) Board of Directors, at the regular board meeting on Thursday, July 20, 2023, approved the removal of the disc golf course.
“Our priority is the safety of conservation area visitors, the community, and neighbours of our properties,” said Nathan Schoelier, ABCA Stewardship and Lands Manager.
The disc golf course had opened in 2016. There has been limited use of the course since that time. The closure of the course is in effect immediately following the board decision on July 20.
The decision to close the course was made based on a staff recommendation in a report to the ABCA Board. The recommendation was made after a third-party consultant, with expertise in assessing disc golf facilities, looked at the site and found “ … numerous and significant safety issues …” with the disc golf course that was in place.
Several factors were considered prior to making this decision, according to ABCA. These factors included safety concerns the course presents; other permitted uses of the conservation area; the amount of use the course receives; the lack of available area for a course reconstruction; and the ecological benefits of the property, which is situated along the Bayfield River.
Clinton Conservation Area remains an excellent area for the community to enjoy outdoor, passive recreation activities. Nathan said “there are two kilometres of trails along the Bayfield River, providing excellent hiking and birdwatching opportunities.” People may also access the Bayfield River to fish at Clinton Conservation Area, he said.
To learn more about Clinton Conservation Area, and activities that are permitted there, please visit the Clinton Conservation Areas web page.
Read more:
|
|
Turtle release event returns in 2023
Eighth annual turtle hatchling release event, at Morrison Dam Conservation Area east of Exeter, educates public about freshwater turtles and habitat they need to survive
The Huron Stewardship Council (HSC), in partnership with Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA), is bringing back the Annual Hatchling Turtle Release for the eighth year.
This event, to release turtle hatchlings back into the wild and to show the public how to protect Ontario’s at-risk freshwater turtle species, takes place at Morrison Dam Conservation Area, 71108 Morrison Line, two kilometres east of Exeter. The event takes place on Thursday, August 31, 2023 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The event takes place rain or shine and admission is free. The organizers encourage donations. The turtle release event includes live reptiles, family-friendly activities, educational displays, and a bake sale and merchandise for sale. Proceeds from the turtle event support Ontario turtle conservation.
Sheldon Paul is HSC Fieldwork Coordinator. He said the turtle event draws crowds every year and is a great way to educate people of all ages about the need to protect Ontario’s eight turtle species.
“It’s fun, it’s free and we look forward to seeing everyone there,” he said.
Hope Brock is ABCA Healthy Watersheds Technician. She said turtles help to control aquatic vegetation and to clean creeks and wetlands by eating algae and dead and decaying fish and other organisms.
People can protect turtles, she said, by watching for turtles on roads when driving, helping them safely cross roads in the way they are headed, protecting nests from predators, and reporting turtle sightings to community monitoring projects.
Enhancing turtle habitat is also vital. “Preserving and creating habitat for turtles and other species is one of the most important things we can do to sustain our turtle species,” she said. “Planting native trees and shrubs, restoring and enhancing wetlands, and growing natural areas all help to protect turtles locally and across Ontario.”
The turtle hatchling release event has taken place since 2016 (it was held as a virtual event in 2020 and 2021).
People attending will not be able to hold the turtles. This is to protect the animals and reduce their stress. Those attending will be able to see the turtles as they are released. The HSC staff releasing the hatchlings are trained and authorized for release. (Organizers remind the public to never release species, especially non-native species, into the wild).
Ontario’s native freshwater turtles face many threats including habitat loss and road mortality (death by cars and other vehicles). Hundreds of turtles in Ontario are hit by cars each year in the spring, summer, and autumn. These could be gravid (pregnant) females looking for a place to lay eggs, or males and females looking for new ponds and mates.
People can help turtles by creating nesting habitat on their properties, stopping to help turtles cross the road in the direction they are heading (when it is safe to do so), and working with their local municipalities and communities to erect turtle crossing signs and build safe passages.
People can also arrange for transport of injured turtles to the turtle hospital. People can also act to protect, create, and enhance the natural areas that provide the habitat for turtle hatchlings to eat, drink, reproduce, and grow and become the adult turtles of tomorrow.
To learn more visit the Huron Stewardship Council website and the Ausable Bayfield Conservation turtles page, or email the HSC.
Find out more:
|
|
Love Your Greats Day has full weekend of events for Lake Huron
This Love Your Greats Day (Saturday, August 12, 2023) watch for events taking place all weekend (August 11-13).
Love Your Great events in 2023 include:
- Soil health bus tour on Friday, August 11
- Garbage clean-ups and sorting on Saturday, August 12
- Stormwater Stroll on Sunday, August 13
Show that you Love Your Great Lakes with positive local action.
Visit the Love Your Greats website for more details about the Community Cleanup, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. noon on August 12, in Bayfield, and the Sorting and Celebration at River Road Brewing and Hops from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Learn more:
#LoveYourGreats #HealthyLakeHuron #LandtoLake #PieceofthePuzzle
|
|
Watch for Flood Messages
As our e-newsletter is infrequent, we generally don't include flood messages in the newsletter so to get the most current messages and updates we encourage you to check out our website's flood messages web page and follow our social media channels, such as Facebook and Twitter, for new flood messages.
We provide flood messages to our municipalities directly as guided by our Flood Emergency Plan.
|
|
|
|
