City starts spraying for elm bark beetles

The city has started its yearly quest to control Winnipeg’s elm bark beetle population in an effort to reduce the spread of Dutch elm disease.

Spraying began Sunday in a number of insect control areas, mainly in northern and central parts of the city.

The city’s superintendent of insect control David Wade said neighbourhoods with a high number of elm trees are being targeted, with the goal of treating about 20 to 25,000 trees this year.

During the treatments, an insecticide basal spray will be applied to the lower 50 centimetres of a tree trunk.

“That's where the beetle overwinters, and so they are killed when they burrow into the bark,” Wade explained.

He added spraying is only one part of a larger strategy to protect Winnipeg’s trees.

“The forestry department every year goes and inspects and tags trees that have the disease, so they get them removed in a timely manner to help prevent the spread of disease and prolong the life of the elm canopy in Winnipeg,” he said.

A city spokesperson tells CTV News Winnipeg it has identified just over 7,200 trees with Dutch elm disease to date.

They noted invasive pests and pathogens such as Dutch elm disease, cottony ash psyllid, and emerald ash borer continue to be one of the greatest threats to our urban forest, particularly since Winnipeg’s public tree inventory is dominated by 25 per cent elm trees and 33 per cent ash species.

“This underlines the importance of achieving greater overall tree species diversity to make our urban forest more resilient, which is why a recommendation in our draft Urban Forest Strategy is to have no more than 10 per cent of any one species, and no more than 20 per cent of any genus in our public tree inventory,” the city said.

Meanwhile, the city is issuing weekly public service announcements on Fridays during the program to let the public know which areas will be treated the following week.

The city also offers an automated telephone and email notification system for the program. Those looking to register to get weekly phone or email notifications on the elm bark beetle control activities can do so through the City of Winnipeg’s website or by contacting 311.