Dutch Elm Disease Decimating Urban Forest

The remains of elm trees the City had to cut down as they were infected by the fungal disease Dutch elm disease.

The fungus disease originated in Asia and has spread across the globe killing elm trees.

The fungus kills an elm tree by clogging its internal water-transporting system (the xylem).

By cutting infected trees and burying the wood it helps prevent the spread of the fungus.

Dutch elm disease is spread by the Elm bark beetle. The city has been spraying the trunks of city owned elm trees to kill the beetles that migrate up the tree’s trunk.

There have been no numbers released yet about the number of trees. The city has had to cut down, but it is very large when compared to other years.