Dutch elm disease burning starts Monday
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/12/2020 (1974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Six hundred trees infected with Dutch elm disease will be burned by the City of Brandon starting Monday.
The majority of trees were removed from the Assiniboine River Corridor and were either dead or diseased.
Burning will take place from Monday through Friday at the Crystal gravel pits at 1825 Victoria Avenue East.
Brandon Fire and Emergency Services have granted the city the proper permits for the burning.
City staff will monitor the burning 24-7 until it is complete and members of the public are asked to stay away until it is finished.
According to Perry Roque, the city’s head of the Parks & Recreation department, fewer elm trees are being burned this year compared to recent years.
“The Province of Manitoba goes out and marks the trees that have Dutch elm disease, they give us a report and then we go and do the removal,” he said.
Removal of the trees has been happening during the last month or two, he said. Burning the trees is one of the ways the wood can be disposed of without spreading the disease.
Trees marked with a spray-painted orange ring around the trunk are those marked for removal under the program.
They can only be removed between September and March under provincial regulations.
“After March, we can’t remove any trees because, in that warmer weather, the Dutch elm disease is starting to spread more, so they don’t want you cutting them,” Roque said.
The city’s online Dutch elm disease frequently asked questions list notes that residents are allowed to prune healthy elms to removed dead or damaged branches anytime except between April 1 and July 31.
During that time, beetles carrying the fungal spores that perpetuate the disease are active and attracted to open wounds on elms.
When moving between elm trees, it is recommended that tools are sterilized to avoid spreading the disease. Elm wood cannot be used as firewood because it is a major factor in spreading the disease.
» cslark@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @ColinSlark