OK. I admit it. I am biased. I love Elm trees. They are beautiful shade trees that make our city a more beautiful place. The magnificent canopy and unorthodox yet uniform shape are very pleasing to the eye. They line our streets and often create a "tunnel" over a residential street that is wonderful to drive through.
However, they are susceptible to something called Dutch Elm Disease which is a fungus that can kill them. It is spread by a beetle that is active from April to October. Fortunately Alberta is free of Dutch Elm Disease and in an effort to keep it that way, there is provincial ban on pruning Elm trees from April 1, to September 30. So, if you have Elm trees that require a trim, do it now, before April 1.
I could get into all the details, but why re-invent the wheel? The City of Calgary has a blog where they do a much better job of this that I could and there is even a video. So, without further ado, here is a link to the City of Calgary blog post on pruning Elm trees:
and click the image below to be taken to the video.
Our trees took a beating last year in the September snow storm so let's take care of them this year. Have a great summer folks!
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