Saskatoon says more cases of Dutch elm disease have been confirmed in the city, with plans underway to remove the infected trees to slow the spread.
The city said on Tuesday that six cases are on the 200 block of Carleton Drive in the College Park neighbourhood. They’re located in a row and represent one of the largest groupings of Dutch elm disease-related elm removals undertaken to date, the city said.
A further three removals are happening on the 800 block of Avenue C North in the Caswell Hill neighbourhood.
The confirmed cases in both neighbourhoods are among the 22 identified in Saskatoon so far this year, and part of a significant rise seen in recent years. The city saw record case numbers in 2025.
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“Seeing six mature elm trees removed from a single block and three on another is a reminder of the very real impact Dutch elm disease is having on our neighbourhoods and urban canopy,” says Thai Hoang, the city’s director of parks.
Surveillance and testing activities in surrounding areas are ongoing, with nearby properties being inspected for stored elm wood, which can harbour elm bark beetles and contribute to the spread of the disease. Residents are reminded it’s illegal to transport, store, sell or use elm wood and that all elm wood is required to be disposed of at the city landfill at no charge.
Dutch elm disease is caused by a deadly fungus that spreads through elm roots and by a specific species of bark beetle that carries the fungus from tree to tree.
Some signs of Dutch elm disease include:
• From June to July, leaves on one or more branches of an infected elm tree may wilt, droop and curl. Infected leaves usually turn brown and stay on the tree
• Elm trees infected later in the summer will have leaves that droop, turn yellow and drop prematurely. It is easy to confuse these late-season infections with normal seasonal colour changes
• Peeling back the bark on infected twigs reveals brown staining in the sapwood
—with files from Global News’ Mikayla Pohl
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