Elm Trees & Dutch Elm Disease

Elm trees, leaves, and branches are prone to an insect that spreads Dutch elm disease, a disease that
kills elm and spreads rapidly.

You can help prevent Dutch elm disease by:

1. Never storing elm wood, branches or leaves. Don’t buy elm wood from anyone and don’t burn it.
2. Pruning your elms before or after the provincial pruning ban period (April 1 to August 31).
3. Disposing of elm at the Saskatoon Landfill. Chop the wood into smaller pieces (less than 10″ in diameter and less than 36″ in length) to avoid paying an extra fee.

Elm trees line many of Saskatoon’s streets and can also be found in private yards. Elm trees have a vase-like shape that can create a canopy like the ones lining Spadina Crescent. If you think you might have​ elm, take a close look at the leaves. Elm leaves have jagged edges and uneven halves that come to a point at the end.

If you have an elm tree, it’s important to ONLY prune between Sept 1 – March 31 and NEVER store or keep elm branches. All elm wood must be taken directly to the Saskatoon landfill and must NEVER go in your green cart (with the exception of leaves) or black cart.

For more information on identifying or disposing of elm, please visit Saskatoon.ca/DutchElmDisease