Action Stations - This is a Crisis! | Julian Ortlepp (Tree Works)

The Polyphagus Shothole Borer (PSHB) (Euwallacea fornicatus - and isn't that just a fitting name for the little fornicator) - or the Vietnamese borer as many know it - has been causing the death of many trees, not just in Johannesburg, but around the rest of the country. And it’s finally getting serious ‘airtime’ in the press and social media, even though Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo have put forward a press release which was published recently in the Rosebank Killarney Gazette to say that ‘it’s too early to classify the outbreak of PSHB as a disaster’ due to a lack of data, and that they reckon we’re at the ‘tail-end of the outbreak’... and guided by research findings they hope to confirm that this outbreak is on its way out. Well, unfortunately that’s not so. The ‘outbreak’ was given wide coverage a year or more ago, and unfortunately, no cure for it has been found, and even more disturbingly, CoJ has yet to identify a place or put in place plans to get rid of infected wood. We are looking at what could potentially be one of SA’s largest ecological tragedies. The private sector has done so much in creating public awareness. Arborists are also getting on board to help find a solution. And it’s time for us to do our part too. One of SA's top arborists and tree surgeons, Julian Ortlepp gives us the background, and advice on how we can help to minimise this potential disaster.

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