Tree Inoculation in Fisher Park
by Wendy Botkin
Many of us continue to be discouraged by the orange ‘tagging’ of elm trees on our boulevards and in the natural areas along the riverbank. While it is a positive sign that the City plans to rapidly remove diseased trees to stop the spread of Dutch Elm Disease, we still grieve the loss of these beautiful giants. We will miss their cool shade on hot summer days for decades while the canopy slowly regrows.
On a recent fall day in Riverview, a local tree care company demonstrated another solution to extend the life of our most valued elms. In addition to rapid removal, there are fungicides, approved for use by the city, that have a good track record of preventing Dutch Elm Disease in a healthy tree for up to 3 years.
Green Drop demonstrated this process by inoculating a healthy elm in Fisher Park. For the demonstration, Green Drop provided this treatment at no cost. However, homeowner costs would be approximately $10 per cm of tree circumference. Averaged over a three-year period, this may be a cost that some homeowners would be glad to pay. Costs for the mature elm treated in Fisher Park would have been approximately $570. This can be done for both private and boulevard trees. For boulevard trees a certified arborist must be hired and a homeowner agreement with the city signed. Not all trees are good candidates for the treatment, but reputable arborists will be able to be transparent about the likelihood of success before work is done.
Green Drop also had arborists available to answer tree health questions at the Fisher Park event. They mentioned two important low-cost things we can all do to increase the health of our trees and build resilience to weather and pest stresses.
One of the most important is deep watering every couple of weeks (especially in fall before freeze-up).
Second, maintaining a large mulch area around the base of the tree should reduce soil compaction over the roots, provide slow-release fertilizer, and decrease the likelihood of damage from weed-whackers and mowers.
Trees Winnipeg was also at the event, providing great information about funding programs, tree maintenance and care, and the state of the urban forest.
Green Drop will be back at Fisher Park on September 30, as part of the Friends of Fisher Park fall clean up celebration, to demonstrate tree planting. They will again be available to answer questions about inoculation and tree health. If you have been thinking of planting a tree on your property, come around 10:30 am for the demonstration. If you can’t make it, be sure to check out this Trees Winnipeg video with practical advice on planting in Winnipeg. And then you may want to follow up with a tree purchase through the fall ReLeaf tree sale on October 7.
Unfortunately, Trees Riverview wasn’t able to secure funding for tree planting in 2023, but we continue to provide activities and information on supporting healthy tree life in our neighbourhood.
Nate Edroff, Urban Forestry Consultant, Green Drop, demonstrates inoculation of an elm tree in Fisher Park. Approved fungicides have a good track record of protecting healthy trees against Dutch Elm Disease for up to three years. Photo Credit: Wendy Botkin
Wendy Botkin is co-chair of Trees Riverview.
