The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is committed to protecting Canada's plant resource base from invasive pests that threaten our forests and forestry industry. As part of this commitment, the CFIA has put in place measures intended to protect Canada's economy by preventing the spread of emerald ash borer (EAB) to non-infested areas of Canada.
Following detections of EAB outside the regulated area in the 2024 survey season, the CFIA has updated its regulated areas for EAB to include two additional Regional County Municipalities in Québec and one county in Ontario.
Preventing the spread of invasive species, like EAB, is the best way to protect forests, native plants and forestry-related businesses.
The regulated area now includes the district of Timiskaming, in Ontario, and the Regional County Municipalities of Saguenay and Charlevoix, in Quebec.
This means that ash material (such as logs, branches and woodchips) and all species of firewood cannot be moved outside the regulated area without permission from the CFIA. If you need to move ash material or firewood, please contact your local CFIA office to request written authorization.
Although the EAB poses no threat to human health, it is highly destructive to ash trees. It has already killed millions of ash trees in regulated areas in Canada and the United States and poses a major economic and environmental threat to urban and forested areas of North America.
The CFIA will continue to survey and monitor the spread of this pest through its annual surveillance program.
If you spot EAB outside regulated areas, report it to the CFIA to help stop the spread.
