2 more cases of Dutch elm disease confirmed in Edmonton

The city is down two more trees after more cases of Dutch elm disease were confirmed on city property.

Two more cases of Dutch elm disease (DED) have been confirmed in Edmonton.

One tree in the downtown area and another in the Delwood neighbourhood have tested positive for the disease.

This marks the 15th and 16th cases in Edmonton since the disease was first detected in the region in 2024.

Both of the affected trees are located on city property within one kilometre of DED protocol zones established around previously confirmed cases and will be removed on Friday as part of ongoing efforts to contain the spread of DED.

The removals will be coordinated with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the provincial government.

DED is a contagious fungal infection that spreads easily.

It poses a significant risk to Edmonton’s urban forest, which has 90,000 elms, or about 22 per cent of the city’s open space and boulevard tree inventory.

There are three ways Edmontonians can help prevent the spread of DED:

Do not move firewood. If you go camping or travel, do not take firewood with you. The beetle that spreads DED is commonly introduced through firewood, so burn it where you buy it.

Only prune elm trees during Oct. 1 to March 31 and dispose of wood immediately by burning it or taking it to the Edmonton Waste Management Centre.

If you see the following signs of DED, call 311.

• From June to July, leaves on one or more branches of an infected elm tree may wilt, droop and curl. Infected leaves usually turn brown and stay on the tree.
• Elm trees infected later in the summer will have leaves that droop, turn yellow and drop prematurely. It is easy to confuse these late-season infections with normal seasonal colour changes.
• Peeling back the bark on infected twigs reveals brown staining in the sapwood.
• For more information on how to contain the spread of Dutch Elm Disease, visit edmonton.ca/DutchElm.