Latest news with #STOPDED
CTV News
06-08-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Crew on lookout for Dutch elm disease this week in Spruce Grove
Yellow STOPDED (Society to Prevent Dutch Elm Disease) tape is wrapped around a tree in this undated file photo. Spruce Grove is on the lookout for Dutch elm disease this week. According to a news release, the city of about 40,000 is employing workers to look for signs of the disease as part of an Edmonton-area survey by the Society To Prevent Dutch Elm Disease. Workers with Living Tree Environmental are visually inspecting elms on behalf of the society. Spruce Grove is 15 kilometres west of the Edmonton city limit. The fungal infection has spread across North America over the last century, killing the trees, with Alberta and British Columbia the last areas considered free of it until 2024. The infection, which isn't curable, clogs an elm's water-conducting system and kills it in one to two years. It is spread by elm bark beetles, which feed on healthy trees and breed in dead and dying ones over the winter. Last month, the City of Edmonton removed several elms in the Alberta Avenue area after it confirmed a case of Dutch elm disease there on July 16 after planned tree assessments in the neighbourhood. The Edmonton case was the first this year and sixth since the disease was discovered in five trees a year ago in Killarney and the east Yellowhead Trail corridor between 97 Street and 66 Street. Elms within 20 metres of an infected tree in Edmonton are removed, while all elms within a one-kilometre radius are closely monitored, the city said last month. In Spruce Grove, the city inspects public elm trees and prunes them between Oct. 1 and March 31, when the elm bark beetle isn't active, to help prevent the disease's spread.
Hamilton Spectator
10-06-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Stopping DED in its tracks
Lethbridge's urban forest is free from Dutch Elm Disease (DED) after a small threat five years ago, and the City needs your help to keep it that way. Back in August of 2020, lab tests confirmed that two trees planted on public land in the Uplands neighbourhood had been infected. Ethan Champion, one of the City's urban forestry technicians, says the problem trees were removed immediately, and all the wood was buried at the landfill in accordance with conventional practices. This was only the second known case of DED in Alberta. Champion says his team closely monitored about 5,000 elm trees across the city for the next three years until Lethbridge could officially be declared DED-free once again. 'We got pretty lucky,' Champion told the Herald. 'It could have been a lot worse. Those trees were called in by citizens. We do rely pretty heavily on citizens to help us monitor the trees. There's very few [technicians] for 50,000 trees all together. It's the citizens of Lethbridge reporting weird things happening with trees that point us in the right direction.' The most noticeable sign of DED, according to Champion, is rapidly wilting and yellowing leaves that stay on the branch during mid-summer. He says if the look of an elm tree has changed by the middle of July, there is a problem that needs to be reported. If you suspect there may be DED in any part of Lethbridge, you're asked to contact 311 right away. An urban forestry technician will be sent out to conduct an inspection, regardless if the tree is on public or private land. Samples will be taken and potentially sent off to a provincial lab for confirmation. Champion particularly stresses that firewood should not be stored or moved around since it is the main contributor to the spread of elm bark beetles. He believes that the 2020 infection may have been caused by firewood that was brought to the city from somewhere else. An elm pruning ban is also in effect each year between April and October. Champion explained that elm trees release pheromones when they are trimmed that attract elm bark beetles. The beetles carry the DED fungus on their body and are most active during those months. If the fungus has an opportunity to invade a tree, Champion says, it will no longer be able to properly move sugar and water to where it's needed. 'It's more or less a death sentence for a tree. Once a tree is infected, there's nothing we can do to save it. It needs to be cut down and all the wood material removed as soon as possible.' DED has been an ongoing risk to urban forests across North America for nearly 100 years. Alberta is recognizing DED Awareness Week between June 22 and 28 this year as a reminder to everyone to do their part to prevent the spread of the deadly infection. Suspected infections in any part of the province can also be reported to the STOPDED hotline at 1-877-837-ELMS. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
