Trimming | Removal | Sustainability
What is Dutch Elm Disease?
Dutch Elm Disease (DED) is a deadly tree disease that can be found all throughout Minnesota in most species of Elm trees. This deadly tree disease causes Elm trees to wilt and eventually die if not treated properly. It spreads through Elm bark beetles, fungal pathogens and root grafting, and can only be treated with fungicide.
What does Dutch Elm Disease look like?
Considering the impacts DED can have on your Elm tree health and the value of your property, it is important to keep an eye out for visible symptoms and call a professional arborist if any exist. They are most prominent in early summer/late spring. Visible symptoms include:
- Yellowing or browning of leaves from wilting
- Leaves falling throughout the summer months
- Wilting of leaves near the trunk of the tree
- Brown lines underneath the bark of wilted branches
How to mitigate DED:
Dutch Elm disease requires a diagnosis from a certified arborist and services to properly mitigate. An arborist will need to come and inspect the infected tree(s) to analyze if treatment can help, or if it needs to be removed to ensure surrounding trees stay healthy. If the tree can be treated rather than removed, this needs to be done every 1 – 2 years to prevent the disease from coming back. It is recommended to have Elm trees inspected annually, sometimes bi-annually, to ensure they are healthy and free of harmful diseases.
DED is present in the following Minnesota Counties:
- Carver
- Scott
- Hennepin
- Sibley
- Dakota
- Ramsey
