August 24, 2026
The City of Edmonton has confirmed one elm tree in the Downtown neighbourhood has tested positive for Dutch elm disease (DED). This is the 17th confirmed case of Dutch elm disease in Edmonton since it was detected in 2024.
The tree is City-owned and located within the one-kilometer DED Protocol Zones established around previously confirmed cases. These zones include heightened monitoring, assessments and tree maintenance.
The tree displayed signs of the disease and were identified by City crews. Samples were submitted to the Alberta Plant Health Laboratory and the tree was proactively removed on August 14 due to being located within 20m of an elm previously confirmed to have DED.
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.
All removals of trees confirmed with DED are coordinated with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the Government of Alberta. Ground surveillance and additional testing of trees in the area is ongoing. All elm wood is 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 elm trees 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.
- 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.
