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SOS Elms Coalition recently sent a letter to the Government of Saskatchewan regarding the recent cuts in the Dutch Elm Disease Control Program. We encourage our members to voice their concern by contacting their local MLA. May 14, 2010 RE: The recent 80% cut to the Dutch Elm Disease control program: a provincial disaster waiting to happen SOS Elms Coalition Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in 1992 to promote the care and appreciation of trees in the communities of Saskatchewan. We work to protect urban forests, especially in controlling Dutch Elm Disease (DED) which is fatal to the American Elm. American Elms are among the most common large mature trees in the older neighbourhoods of the towns and cities of Saskatchewan. Our lobbying efforts in the 1990s helped to convince the provincial government to establish an effective DED control program. That program has run successfully since then, until it was abruptly decimated this Spring. A healthy mature American Elm in an urban setting is valued at $15,000 to $55,000 by the Council of Tree & Landscape Appraisers, and endorsed by the International Society of Arboriculture. Many thousands of such trees are important real estate assets in the communities of Saskatchewan - some 50,000 in Saskatoon and 100,000 in Regina alone. The total provincial value of these trees adds up to billions of dollars. If DED is not controlled, an epidemic could kill these elms in a very short time, thereby creating an urgent need for removal, costing an average of $500 per dead tree. In reducing the annual provincial DED control budget by $400,000 the government now risks future clean-up expenses of billions of dollars per year if mass die-offs occur. Mature trees provide priceless aesthetic and environmental qualities to the communities of Saskatchewan. They greatly enhance the beauty and character of older neighbourhoods, and are essential for moderating the micro-climate, reducing air conditioning costs in Summer and heating costs in Winter. They improve air quality, reduce rainfall runoff, lower noise levels and, by carbon capture and storage, help to reduce climate change. The larger the tree, the greater the impact, and the American Elm is one of the largest and longest lived species in Saskatchewan. Many of the mature elms in our communities are approaching a hundred years in age. With proper care, they can live for another 200 years, providing benefits for generations to come. Given the limited selection of tree species that survive and flourish in our climate, to allow one of the hardiest and most vigorous of them to diminish is extremely short-sighted and irresponsible. Clearly, SOS Elms strongly opposes the recent decision of the provincial government to cut 80% of the DED control program. That program is essential for the protection or our urban forests. Without support for detection and removal of diseased trees, municipalities will struggle to find the extra funds to fight DED. The result will be increased loss of elms throughout Saskatchewan. At a time when the world is working towards environmental sustainability and encouraging responsibility for climate change by protecting our forests, our province has chosen to remove support for the protection of one of the most valuable tree species on the prairies. The Government of Saskatchewan web site declares: "The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to finding solutions to the environmental challenges facing our province, our country and our planet." Somehow that doesn't fit with the recent decision to drastically reduce a program that protects trees. Further, its environment web page is titled: "Saskatchewan, Protecting and Preserving our Natural Beauty." Inspiring words - but actions always speak louder than words. We urge the government to take action by fully reinstating the funds for the DED program. The continuance of this program will ensure that diseased trees are removed in a timely manner to reduce the spread of DED. It will reduce the burden on communities who are already under fiscal restraint and will not have the resources to manage DED on their own. Our neighbouring provinces Manitoba and Alberta are maintaining their DED control programs at an annual cost of $2 million in Manitoba and $200,000 in Alberta (which to date has had only one elm die from DED). Surely Saskatchewan can do its part.
Doug Mitchell,
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