Huge numbers of ash trees are being cut down across the city of Barrie due to a tiny bug called the Emerald Ash Borer.

Kevin Rankin, urban forester for the city, said, “This tree right here shows signs of what's called copus growth. Branches growing down on the trunk, popping out which is not normal. It’s a sign of infestation”.

The bugs are small but have the potential to cause a huge damage to ash trees. Small holes and unusual patterns under the bark are the telltale signs.

The bugs chew in under the bark and eats off the cambium layer. As a result, the supply of water and nutrients up and down the tree is stopped, which kills the trees, said Rankin.

It has been known that the bugs are spreading across the province for the past decade and are now showing up in Barrie. In total, almost 5,000 trees will be cut down in Barrie, which will take several years to complete.

Experts said that the bugs usually get transferred by people moving infected fire wood. In order to learn more about the ash borer, the city has 25 traps set up.

Some of the assigned crews are also making efforts to save some of the trees by using a different approach. They are even injecting some of the trees with extracts from other trees that seem to fight the bug off.

All the trees cut down in residential areas will be replaced by more than a dozen different species of trees. It’s going to cost about $170,000 a year.

Several crews in Plainfield are also battling with the emerald ash borer this summer by taking down 1,800 trees, which is more than twice the amount removed last year.