Central ND News

City Forester Christy Ames-Davis has announced that Bismarck's Forestry Division will commence its annual inspection for elm bark beetle habitats starting the week of March 24, 2025. This initiative is crucial in preventing Dutch elm disease from affecting the city's elm trees.

The prevention program has been effective largely due to removing habitats that allow the disease vector to survive through winter. Firewood piles provide insulation, enabling insects like the elm bark beetle to endure harsh temperatures. Elm bark beetles specifically use elm wood with tightly attached bark for protection against temperature fluctuations. By eliminating this wood before spring, over-wintering beetles are destroyed and cannot emerge as temperatures rise.

"We attribute our success in fighting to save Bismarck’s elm trees to three main factors," said City Forester Ames-Davis. These include diligent summer inspections to identify diseased trees, quick removal of infected trees, and eliminating over-wintering habitats by enforcing debarking or disposal of dead elm wood and stumps.

City arborists will search for firewood piles containing elm wood throughout the city. If found, these will be marked with orange paint for easy identification by homeowners. Wood owners must debark, burn, or dispose of this habitat within ten days after notification. A notice explaining the lifecycle of the elm bark beetle and how they use elm wood as a breeding ground will be left at properties where such wood is found. The notice also provides guidance on distinguishing elm wood from other common firewood types in North Dakota.

According to an NDSU Extension Service publication titled "Dutch Elm Disease," “A few elm logs secreted away by one homeowner who does not understand the importance of the problem can undo all attempts at thorough sanitation and watchful disease surveillance for an area of several city blocks.”