July 14, 2026 - The City of Edmonton announced two additional positive cases for DED. These two trees mark the eighth and ninth cases of Dutch elm disease confirmed in Edmonton since it was first detected in 2024. Both trees were on City property, one inside the DED Protocol zone in Northmount and the other nearby in Rossdale (with an expanded protocol zone around each find).
The City is reminding residents about DED protocols including pruning ban, signs of the disease, non-movement of firewood and how to report suspected trees.
More info can be found in the news release here.
Time to check the elms for DED symptoms
How we can stop DED
- Check your elm trees for DED symptoms and report immediately to the STOPDED hotline at 1-877-837-ELMS
- Adhere to the annual pruning ban from April 1 to September 30th.
- Respect provincial regulations by not moving or storing elm firewood. Spores of the DED fungus are dispersed via bark beetles that burrow under the bark and lay their eggs. DED can be distributed over long distances in elm logs and in firewood.
Symptoms of infected DED elm tree:
Flagging - when the leaves of one or more branches near the top of the tree wilt, curl, turn yellow and then brown, remaining on the tree.
Staining - an infected twig sample will have red streaks through the sapwood. https://www.alberta.ca/dutch-elm-disease-overview.aspx
There are other vascular elm diseases which are not as serious as DED and mimic the symptoms of DED. For this reason, a sample from the infected area of the tree must be sent to the Alberta Plant Health Lab to confirm if DED is present. A confirmed DED tree must be removed and disposed of properly immediately to prevent further spread. https://www.alberta.ca/dutch-elm-disease-overview.aspx
Firewood is confiscated from travelers at all the AB/US borders. There is one volunteer firewood bin east of Medicine Hat at the Dunmore vehicle and boat inspection site.