Trail woodchips show promise in cutting tick presence

A University of Ottawa study found that distributing woodchip borders along forest trail edges significantly reduces blacklegged tick numbers—about half—while deltamethrin-treated woodchips cut ticks by roughly 99% on treated segments. Framed as a One Health environmental intervention using recycled woodchips, this approach could offer a cost-effective way to protect trail users, though feasibility likely limits use to wide, high-use trails and must be paired with personal protection measures and tick surveillance.