Residents of Weyburn, and of the province, have until the end of the month to take care of any pruning of elm trees they want to do. The annual ban takes effect on April 1st, and runs until August 31st. The ban is to prevent the spread of Dutch Elm disease, which is spread by the Dutch Elm beetle.

Once wood is trimmed away from an elm tree, it needs to be properly disposed of. Linda Prokott is the Parks Coordinator with the City of Weyburn. She explained it isn’t as simple as putting it in the backyard, and waiting to use it in your fire pit this year.

“Elm wood can be disposed at the landfill in the burn pile,” Prokott said. “They should let the attendant know, though, that it is elm wood so they are aware of it, and able to deal with that quickly.”

If the wood is left in a yard, it will still attract the beetle, which will live under the bark, and from there, could potentially infect nearby elm trees. The beetle itself is harmless, but carries with it a fungus which can infect the trees.

The symptoms of Dutch Elm disease are similar to what we generally see from trees in the fall. Yellowing and wilting of leaves is the main sign, and can be localized to individual branches.

If you have any questions about an elm tree, or wish to have a sample taken from one to see if it is infected, you can contact the City of Weyburn.