Elm pruning ban is over - The City of Red Deer

October 30, 2008

(Red Deer, Alberta) – Citizens are reminded the annual ban on pruning elm trees has ended and from now until March 31 is an appropriate time to prune elms.

It is only legal to prune elms in Alberta between October 1 and March 31, when the beetles responsible for spreading the virus are not active.

“Pruning elms in the winter months helps to reduce the beetle’s breeding habitat,” said Elaine Johnson, Urban Forester for The City of Red Deer. “It’s also important that pruned elm wood be disposed of promptly and properly, to keep the disease from spreading.”

Because elm bark beetles breed and overwinter in dead and dying elm trees and firewood, all pruned elm wood must be disposed of by burning, burying or chipping by March 31 each year. It is illegal to store elm firewood in Alberta.

Johnson recommends pruning be done by a professional certified arborist who can properly recommend the amount and type of pruning needed for individual trees.

“Each year many trees are killed as a result of improper pruning,” she said. “Topping or removing more than a third of a tree’s canopy will weaken the tree’s structure and shorten its lifespan.”

For more information on how to prevent Dutch Elm Disease, call the provincial hotline by dialing the toll-free number 310-0000 and asking for 403-782-8613 or visiting the Society to Prevent Dutch Elm Disease (STOPDED) website at www.stopded.org.

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For more information, please contact:
Elaine Johnson
Urban Forester
The City of Red Deer
403-342-8344