The city of Regina announced its first cases on Friday Dutch Elm Disease have been found in the city.
There are currently five confirmed cases of the disease in the Queen City, and a tree was cut down Victoria Park in an effort to prevent the disease.
“This prevents water from getting from the roots to the canopy and will slowly kill the tree,” said Ryan Johnson, the city’s pest control supervisor.
When green leaves turn yellow, wither and then eventually turn brown, it is a sign that the tree is infected with Dutch elm disease.
“Usually we get 10, 15 trees that are infected every year,” Johnson said. In total, there are about 45,000 elm trees in Regina. This means that about 0.03 percent of Regina elms are infected each year, although the disease can kill an elm tree within weeks of infection.
In total, the city has lost 150 trees to Dutch elm disease since 1981.
The primary culprit of spreading disease is a tiny beetle.
“This fungus is spread by a small beetle called the elm bark beetle,” Johnson said. “This beetle feeds tree to tree and spreads this fungus around. So it is very important for us to identify and get rid of the tree at the earliest.”
The disease can also be spread when trees are close to each other where the roots touch – the disease passes through the root system between trees.
To help prevent disease, people can regularly fertilize, water, and prune trees to keep them healthy.
An easy way to prevent disease is for residents not to transport firewood from out of town to Regina.
Anyone who sees a tree with symptoms that look like Dutch elm disease is told to call 306-777-7000 and alert Service Regina.
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