Elm-pruning ban takes effect next month

Elm tree canopies can be seen in Edmonton in May 2024, just months before four cases of Dutch elm disease were confirmed in the city. (Evan Klippenstein/CTV News Edmonton)

The elm tree-pruning ban to prevent Dutch elm disease takes effect next month.

Elm tree pruning is banned according to a provincial regulation from April 1 to Sept. 30.

Bark beetles, which transmit the disease, can be attracted to the scent of fresh tree cuts, increasing the risk of transmission, the city said on Thursday in a public reminder.

Elm trees account for 22 per cent of Edmonton’s trees in open spaces and boulevards, making the disease a “significant threat to the health and resilience” to the city’s urban forest.

Seven trees have tested positive since it was first detected in August 2024.

Signs of Dutch elm disease include:

• brown staining in the sapwood;
• wilting or drooping leaves on multiple branches from late-June to mid-July, which turn brown but stay attached; and
• yellowing leaves that drop prematurely, in the case of a tree that is infected later in the summer.

These signs should be reported to 311.