SASKATOON – City officials are breathing a sigh of relief. After careful monitoring, they say there are no new cases of Dutch elm disease in Saskatoon.
While Dutch elm disease has been present in Saskatchewan since the 1980s, it has never reared its ugly head in Saskatoon until an infected tree was discovered on July 21 in the Queen Elizabeth area.
READ MORE: Dutch elm disease found in Saskatoon tree
The city responded aggressively, removing the tree and checking nine others within a one kilometre radius.
All tests have come back negative.
Crews indentified and cleaned up 12 elm wood storage infractions around the infected tree site. An additional crew has been trained for increased surveillance and the city has updated its website and created an online submission form for people to report trees suspected to have Dutch elm disease.
The elm tree pruning ban also remains in effect until the end of August.
Saskatoon has approximately 25,000 boulevard and park elm trees worth an estimated $45 million.
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