Emerald ash borer kills dozens of trees at Confederation Park

City crews will remove 66 dead or dying ash trees from the Breezeway Trail at Confederation Park, the city announced Thursday.

The trees are victims of the emerald ash borer an invasive insect that claimed about 10,000 trees in Hamilton in just a year.

The trees are part of the Hamilton Waterfront Trail, and are all at least 80 per cent dead due to the infestation.

• Hamilton has lost nearly 10,000 trees to the emerald ash borer

The city says it will take about a month to remove the trees, starting Monday. Each three that's removed is replaced with a new species to "replace and diversify Hamilton's urban forest," the city said in a news release.

The emerald ash borer is native to China and Eastern Asia, and is believed to have killed millions of trees in Canada and the U.S.

The city says the insect has the potential to destroy Hamilton's entire ash tree population within the next five to ten years.