Portage la Prairie's city park's crews are gearing up for the battle against Dutch elm disease. Parks Manager Dave Green says it's a relatively average year for the disease in the city, with about 100 trees slated for removal over the fall and winter months. He says they often see the cases spread throughout the city, but it's not unusual for cases to appear near a recently removed tree, as the European elm beetle travels from tree to tree. 

Parks Manager Dave Green

The removal of trees isn't the only aspect of the Dutch elm management program, with some preventative measures also slated for the near future. Green says within the next few weeks, they're going to begin the Basal spraying of the trees, to help stop the spread of the disease.

"That's spraying the bottom four or five feet of the trunk of the tree with a pesticide. The idea of that is it goes after the European Elm Bark Beetles that spread the disease."

Green notes the spray won't have any negative implications for wildlife, people, or pets once it dries, but notes the public shouldn't come into contact with trees that are still wet with the pesticide.

The tree's removal will be a new challenge for the city, following changes to the provincial level. While the provincial crews previously conducted the tree removals, changes to the Dutch elm management program mean the city has to hire someone to remove the tree, and receive $181 from the province per tree removed, while also receiving 50 cents per capita for preventative measures, and a flat $2,000 fee for administration costs. The reduced funding has led to concerns across the province, with the Association of Manitoba Municipalities also calling for the previous practices to be reinstated.