Ontario Nature Blog
Receive email alerts about breaking conservation
and environmental news.
© Lora Denis
Black ash © Charlotte Cadow CC BY-NC 4.0
Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) is throwing precaution and good advice to the wind in its approach to protecting the endangered black ash. When the species was listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in January 2022, the ministry chose to delay legal protection for two years. Now that time is almost up, it is proposing to severely limit protection going forward through a “conditional exemption” (ERO 019-7378).
Black ash is recognized as a critically endangered species globally. It is also of great cultural significance to many Indigenous Peoples.
Although widespread and currently abundant, black ash faces a grim future. The primary threat is the invasive emerald ash borer (EAB), which is steadily expanding its range northward, leaving a swath of destruction. Warmer temperatures resulting from climate change will boost the EAB’s spread, with up to almost 100 percent of the range of black ash in Ontario at risk of infestation over the next 80 years.
Climate change impacts (e.g., drought, heatwaves, late spring frosts, erratic winter weather) and habitat loss pose additional threats to black ash, which is found predominantly in wetlands, riparian areas and other seasonally wet areas.
Black ash poses a formidable conservation challenge indeed. MECP’s response? Deny legal protection for most black ash trees and their habitats across their range in Ontario. Here’s what you should know about the proposed exemption:
MECP’s proposed exemption reveals a disturbing lack of intent to prioritize the survival and recovery of black ash.
If you believe that, instead, Ontario should live up to its responsibility to protect and recover this globally imperiled, culturally significant species, please consider making your voice heard through our action alert. The deadline for comment is November 2, 2023.
© Lena Morrison