The results are in and the news isn’t good.
Dutch elm disease is on the move in Saskatchewan, according to the 1997 survey.
New cases of infected American elm trees were found in six communities: Fillmore, Lemberg, Hirsch, Katepwa Beach, Lumsden and Milestone.
The most dramatic increase in previously infected areas was in Buffalo Pound Provincial Park northeast of Moose Jaw, which had 33 infected trees last year but a whopping 147 this year.
A total of 1,360 elms will be removed.
Elena Schacherl, Dutch elm disease program administrator, said the disease will inevitably progress throughout the province. In the south, it is moving out of the Qu’Appelle Valley area, and in the northeast, the Carrot River area continues to battle increasing numbers.
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“It’s migrating both northeast and northwest,” she said. “That is expected.”
Since Dutch elm was first detected near Estevan in 1990 another 15 urban municipalities in eastern Saskatchewan have found infected trees, most notably in the buffer zones around the communities.
Dutch elm disease is caused by a fatal fungus that invades the water conducting vessels of the trees. Symptoms usually appear in late June to mid-July when the leaves wilt or droop, curl up and become brown. Leaves on trees infected later in the year usually turn yellow and drop prematurely.
Death can be swift
Infected trees usually die within one or two seasons.
“It can kill a tree in as little as three weeks,” Schacherl said.
Siberian or Manchurian elms are rarely infected, she said. But the elm bark beetle, which carries the fungus, does use these elms for breeding material.
Saskatchewan’s management program focuses on preventing the spread of the beetle. A log 60 centimetres long and 10 centimetres across can contain as many as 1,800 beetles.
Schacherl said at this time of year people should make sure they have taken care of any wood lying around, especially firewood.
The use, transport or storage of elm wood is illegal in Saskatchewan. As well, it is illegal to prune trees between mid-April and August.
Hire a professional
“Now is an excellent time to be looking at pruning your elms, ideally with a professional pruner,” she said.
Municipalities are required to designate a site, usually at local landfills, for elm wood disposal. Suspected use of elm firewood should be reported to the provincial Dutch elm disease hotline at 1-800-727-5356.
People living on the farm should either burn the elm limbs completely, or bury them at least 24 centimetres deep.
“Our intent is really to keep from losing our trees,” Schacherl said. “It’s going to take 80 or 90 years before you replace that tree.”
Economic impact studies show the loss of trees affects things like tourism. Trees also affect the heating and cooling of buildings by 15 to 20 percent, she said. Crop yields can suffer from loss of shelterbelt.
“It does cost money,” she said. “You’re either going to spend to manage the disease … or you’re going to pay lots in the short-term to remove dead trees. It’s actually nine times more expensive to do nothing about Dutch elm disease than it is to manage it through pruning. . .and other strategies.”
The province participates in cost-share arrangements with communities for things like public education and removal of infected trees. It also conducts an annual survey, which cost about $50,000 in 1997.
Village of Katepwa Beach mayor Ed Coulthard said his community sees great value in the survey.
“As a resort village we are very concerned about the potential negative impact the disease could have on property values, tourism in the Qu’Appelle Valley, as well as the long-term environmental effects,” he said.
