August 7, 2026
The City of Edmonton has confirmed one elm tree in both the Downtown and Delwood neighbourhoods have tested positive for Dutch elm disease (DED). These two trees are the 15th and 16th confirmed cases of Dutch elm disease in Edmonton since it was detected in 2024.
Both trees are located on City property within one-kilometer DED Protocol Zones established around previously confirmed cases. These zones include heightened monitoring, assessments and tree maintenance.
Both trees displayed signs of the disease and were identified by City crews. Test results confirmed the presence of DED, and both trees are being removed today as part of ongoing efforts to contain its spread.
Prompt removal of infected trees and any elms within 20 metres of them, along with a diligent pruning program to remove deadwood, helps reduce habitat for the beetles that spread the deadly fungus. Nearby elms in the Downtown neighbourhood will not be removed at this time since the infected tree’s roots were contained, reducing the risk of DED spreading through root grafting.
Tree removals will be coordinated with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the Government of Alberta. Ground surveillance and additional testing in the area will begin immediately. All elm wood will be disposed of at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre following strict handling procedures.
Dutch elm disease is a contagious fungal infection that spreads easily to nearby elms. The disease poses a significant threat to Edmonton's urban forest, with approximately 90,000 making up 22 per cent of the City’s Open Space and Boulevard Tree Inventory.
What residents can do
Containing the spread of Dutch elm disease is a community effort. There are three ways residents can help stop the spread of the disease:
1. Do not move firewood.
- If you go camping or travel, do not transport firewood. Beetles that spread Dutch elm disease are commonly introduced to Edmonton through firewood, so always “burn it where you buy it.”
2. Remove bark beetle habitat.
- Follow provincial pruning ban guidelines. Residents can only prune dead, dying and diseased elm tree branches from October 1 to March 31.
- Dispose of elm wood immediately by burning it or taking it to the Edmonton Waste Management Centre.
- Do not combine elm wood with food scraps or other collected waste.
3. If you see the following signs of Dutch elm disease, 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.
