HIGH RIVER, AB: The Town Parks Department will be out in the community this month to complete regular pest management procedures to remove weeds and insects from trees and green spaces.
Residents may notice crews maintaining the Town Dike (adjacent to George Lane Park) and the Northwest Dike (NW 1-3) in the coming weeks.
The Parks Department will perform an integrated pest management approach to controlling weeds and insects. This includes hand-pulling, mowing, high-pressure water spraying, pruning and, as a last resort, applying pesticide where applicable.
“Crews and or Contractors spray very few pesticides in town but will, on occasion, utilize these products as a tool in our toolkit,” says Tannas Webb, parks supervisor with the Town. “These are only applied by licensed individuals at label rates, during appropriate environmental conditions and in proper locations.”
Due to the recent hot weather there has been an increase in pests on trees in High River and crews will also be spraying trees in the early morning hours in areas around town.
Spraying is needed to protect against Elm Scale, Woolly Aphid and Cottony Psyllid which are all species that thrive in the heat and are extremely detrimental to trees if they are not controlled. Signs will be posted asking residents to keep their vehicles clear of trees to allow crews to do their work.
Responsible weed control is important in insuring that the Town of High River is not contributing to invasive weed and pest species that can be prevalent in Alberta.