Sorensen Neighborhood

Dutch Elm Strikes Sorensen (Archive)

Feb 22, 2005

Act Now to Save Healthy Trees

?“The horrible sound of power saws is filling my neighborhood,?” laments Karen Laukkonen, a graphic designer who works from her home at Zarthan and 34th. ?“I hate that sound?—it reminds me that I?’ll be hearing it soon in my own backyard, because my big, beautiful, old elm was just diagnosed. I was not injecting it to prevent Dutch elm.?”
Within three blocks of Karen?’s house, the City has tagged 15 trees for removal. St. Louis Park

Environmental Coordinator Jim Vaughan confirms that Dutch elm disease is hitting Sorensen harder than other neighborhoods.

?“It?’s been a tough year,?” Jim says. ?“Trees are stressed from lack of moisture, and a lot of the elm bark beetles that spread the disease survived the winter.?” He adds, ?“We?’ve tagged 500 trees for removal already this year?—we usually average only 450 the whole season.?” Besides the Zarthan and 34th area, another hotspot is 35th and Wooddale.

Vaughan and his crew have been cruising Sorensen streets and alleys looking for infected American elm trees. They are also searching for woodpiles where the beetles are breeding.

Here?’s what you can do:
- Prune elms only in winter, when they are dormant. If you must prune now to remove damaged wood, cover the wound with a tar-based paint.
- Call the City if you have or know of a large pile of firewood. A tree inspector will check for infested elm logs.
- Report dead American elms.
- Report American elms with symptoms of the disease.
Leaves that are falling now are the most obvious sign. Also look for leaves turning yellow or brown, or curling near the top of the tree where the beetles feed. Call ASAP, since if the infection is caught early enough, it?’s possible to save the tree by removing only the diseased portion.
- Have healthy American elms injected with a fungicide to protect them from the disease. The cost is going up next year, so have it done now. The total cost is $260 per tree, but the City covers 60 percent for boulevard trees and 40 percent for trees on your property. Next year the City will cover 40 percent regardless of location.
- Remove diseased trees. This year the City removes boulevard trees free of charge?—next year it will cover only half of the cost. The average cost depends on the diameter of the trunk?—the average is $750.