Town of Drumheller

​View this week's Town of Drumheller town page as published in the Drumheller Mail.                

Annual Elm Pruning Ban in Alberta is over until March 31

By Janet Feddes-Calpas - STOPDED Executive Director

The annual elm pruning ban in Alberta is now over until March 31, 2019. With the ban lifted it's time to start pruning the dead wood out of your elm trees. To help eliminate elm bark beetle habitat, elm sanitation is essential to an integrated Dutch elm disease (DED) prevention program to keep Alberta DED free.

The only time it is legal to prune elms in Alberta is between October 1 and March 31. This is when the elm bark beetles, responsible for spreading the deadly DED fungus, are not active. Elm bark beetles feed on healthy elms and breed and overwinter in dead and dying elm trees. If elm trees are pruned between April 1 and September 30, beetles will be drawn to the scent of the fresh pruning cuts, potentially infecting an otherwise healthy elm.

Having your tree pruned properly is important. The Society to Prevent Dutch Elm Disease (STOPDED) recommends that all trees be pruned by a professional arborist such as an ISA Certified Arborist. They will determine what type of pruning is necessary to maintain or improve the health, appearance and safety of your trees. Improper pruning, topping or removing an excessive amount of live wood is not recommended, as these types of pruning will weaken the tree's structure and shorten its lifespan. It is essential that all pruned elm wood be properly disposed of by burning, burying or chipping by March 31. It is illegal to store elm firewood since it could be harboring elm bark beetles.

Alberta is still free of DED, however its borders are being pressed from two sides by Saskatchewan and Montana, both of which are battling the disease. Once an elm is infected with DED there is no cure and it must be removed and destroyed immediately. We must stay vigilant to keep our elms healthy. DED can be prevented.

For more information, call the STOPDED hotline at 1-877-837-ELMS or check out the web site at www.stopded.org. To find an ISA Certified Arborist in your area go to www.isaprairie.com. 

 Being a Volunteer FireFighter is not a 9 to 5 job. Our FireFighters are committed to responding to calls any time they come in.Often, this requires the support of our Employers who allow us the time and flexibility to be there for our community when you need us.

At this time, we'd like to thank the following local employers:

​At the September 30th Council meeting Mayor Heather Colberg proclaimed October as End Poverty Month in Drumheller. The proclamation can be found below. We are going to be running a social media information campaign through the month, 

Poverty reduction is a priority of the Mayor and Council so the Drumheller Poverty Reduction Alliance was created to look at actions to address poverty in Drumheller as well as develop a Poverty Reduction Strategy.

If you want more information on how you can help please  or the issues of poverty in Drumheller contact April Harrison the FCSS Coordinator at aharrison@dinosaurvalley.com