Wood you take two minutes to protect Canada's trees?

This August, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) encourages Canadians to take part in Tree Check Month. This annual campaign reminds Canadians of the vital role they play in protecting local plants and trees and the importance of healthy trees to our environment, wellbeing and economy.

This Tree Check Month, take a closer look at the trees and plants around you. Whether you're in your backyard, local park, cottage or workplace greenspace, a quick inspection can help protect Canada's trees and forests.

Early action is one of the most effective ways to reduce the impact of invasive pests. These harmful species often spread through everyday human activities: hitching rides on vehicles, pets, firewood and outdoor gear, allowing them to travel between regions undetected. Once established, however, they can become difficult and costly to remove. Governments and municipalities across Canada spend millions of dollars each year responding to pest outbreaks. Pests such as the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle that attacks and kills ash trees; the Asian longhorned beetle, a wood-boring pest of maples and other hardwood trees; and the hemlock woolly adelgid, an aphid-like insect that attacks and kills hemlock trees, have already caused significant damage to forests and urban trees across the country.