Memorial tree positive for DED, City saddened at necessary removal

Sadly, after testing positive for Dutch Elm Disease (DED), the City must take immediate action and remove one of the trees along the Memorial Avenue of Trees at Woodlawn Cemetery.

“This is a difficult thing to have to do and an action we have to take with a heavy heart,” says Director of Parks, Thai Hoang. “While any historic elm that must be removed is a loss, this hits a bit harder.”

The positive result came back earlier this week and according to the City’s DED rapid response plan, the elm must be immediately removed.

“The City has taken measures to protect these trees as much as is practical including inoculating trees against Dutch Elm Disease,” Hoang says. “However, that is not a fail-safe and because of the high likelihood of root grafting between trees, the disease easily spreads.”

The Memorial Avenue of Trees in Woodlawn cemetery was created at the urging of the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire (IODE) to commemorate the men and women who had fallen during the First World War.

“It’s not simply a public memorial, but an intensely personal one -- none of these men was ever coming home,” says City Archivist Jeff O’Brien. “There would be no grave here in Saskatoon for people to stand at, no place to put flowers on, but you could have a tree in Woodlawn Cemetery -- growing in celebration of the specific person that had been lost.”

The tree that is being removed is in memory of, “The Officers of the Forever Scotland Camp.” While not dedicated to a specific soldier, sailor, nurse or airman, O’Brien says the memorial is just as important.

“The Memorial Avenue of Trees is unique in Canada, for the simple reason that it still exists,” O’Brien says. “There were at one time a number of these arboreal memorials in many cities such as Victoria, Montreal and Winnipeg, for example, but over the years, they’ve all been cut down.”

The Memorial Avenue of Trees is a National Historic Site. Parks Canada has been notified of the pending removal.

The Parks department will follow the direction of City Council in 1922 when it promised the IODE that it would replace the trees if necessary. This has been done as trees have previously died from drought or other issues.

Residents can take a few simple actions to help prevent the spread of DED by:

• Not storing, transporting, selling, purchasing or burning elm wood or branches at any time. These actions are illegal.

• Not pruning elm trees during the provincial pruning ban from April 1 to August 31. Pruning during this time attracts elm bark beetles, which can spread the disease to healthy trees.

• Disposing of all elm wood immediately at the City Landfill, where disposal is free.

• Do not take elm wood to the Compost Depot or place it in your green bin.

For more information about DED and to learn how to recognize the warning signs, visit saskatoon.ca/dutchelmdisease.