Find and clear Siberian elm deadwood

Why this matters

Siberian elms are a critical factor in DED

A dead elm branch with the bark peeled back, showing beetle exit holes and galleries carved in the wood — Banded elm bark beetle larvae found in dead Siberian elm wood.

American elms tend to be the big boulevard trees on Edmonton streets and in City parks, and they die from DED. Edmonton has over 90,000 public American elms.

Siberian elms rarely die from DED, but their deadwood is where the beetle that spreads DED breeds. Right now the larvae are concentrated and dormant in that deadwood. Now is the chance to remove it before the beetles hatch in spring and infect surrounding American elms. Edmonton has about 3,800 public Siberian elms.

Important

Clearing Siberian elm deadwood before April 1 removes the beetles before they can hatch, spread to American elms and cause widespread DED.

How to identify · Winter

Bud shape

Buds are the best way to tell elms apart in winter. Buds that look like round peppercorns indicate a Siberian elm, whereas buds that are a pointed oval shape indicate an American elm.

A Siberian elm branch held up in winter, its thin grey twigs dotted with small round dark buds — **Round,** like a peppercorn, with a flaky outer layer and hairy scale edges.

**Tiny:** about 3 mm, dark purple-brown to nearly black.

**Twigs** are thin, pale grey and brittle. Broken, dead twigs are common.

**Leaves:** a few small dry leaves often hang on into winter.

Close-up of a thin grey Siberian elm twig with three small, round, dark buds like peppercorns — **Round,** like a peppercorn, with a flaky outer layer and hairy scale edges.

**Tiny:** about 3 mm, dark purple-brown to nearly black.

**Twigs** are thin, pale grey and brittle. Broken, dead twigs are common.

**Leaves:** a few small dry leaves often hang on into winter.

An American elm branch on a winter street, its stouter twigs carrying larger pointed reddish-brown buds — **Oval with a pointed tip,** with neat overlapping scales like a tiny pine cone.

**Larger:** roughly twice the size, reddish-brown.

**Twigs** are stouter and often slightly hairy, zig-zagging from bud to bud.

Close-up of a stout brown American elm twig with oval, pointed, reddish-brown buds with overlapping scales — **Oval with a pointed tip,** with neat overlapping scales like a tiny pine cone.

**Larger:** roughly twice the size, reddish-brown.

**Twigs** are stouter and often slightly hairy, zig-zagging from bud to bud.

Bud close-ups © Peter M. Dziuk and Katy Chayka, MinnesotaWildflowers.info, reproduced under their non-commercial terms.

How to identify

Siberian elm deadwood

A tangle of dead Siberian elm branches in a naturalized area near Highlands, with a road behind — Dead Siberian elm wood in a naturalized area near Wayne Gretzky Drive and Highlands.

Siberian elms shed branches constantly, so most carry some deadwood. Look on the tree and on the ground beneath it.

Anything thicker than an inch. Wood that size and up can shelter beetles and needs to be removed.
Attached. Dead branches still on the tree: no buds, bark loose or peeling, twigs that snap dry instead of bending.
Detached. Fallen branches and piles of elm wood under the tree, along fences and in alleys.
Stumps and cut elm wood left on the ground. Any elm wood with bark on it can harbour beetles.

What to look for

A pale, bare dead limb running through the live crown of an elm, with no buds or twigs on it — **Attached, broken.** A limb that broke in a storm and is still hanging in the tree.

Dead elm branches hanging down from a canopy, still holding dry brown leaves in winter — **Attached, dead.** Dead wood in the canopy that needs to be pruned.

A Siberian elm in a park with a large fallen branch lying on the snowy grass beneath it — **Detached.** Fallen branches under the tree need to be removed as well.

Where to look

Where Siberian elms grow

Siberian elms seed themselves and turn up in three kinds of places.

Private yards

The owner is responsible for clearing deadwood and can be fined if they do not, under section 35 of the Community Standards Bylaw.

Boulevards and parks

Most boulevard and park elms are American, but Siberian elms are mixed in. See the map below.

Naturalized areas

Siberian elms commonly grow in roadside stands and at the edge of the river valley, and can carry significant deadwood. See the map below.

Public elms

Check public Siberian elms near you

Trees on private property are not included.

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American elm

Siberian elm

Other elms

DED case zones

Sources: City of Edmonton tree inventory · City DED protocol zone map (zone centres read from the City's map dated 2026-09-28, to about ±40 m).

Before April 1, 2027

Key actions

1
Clear your own. Hire an arborist to thoroughly prune your Siberian elms and remove all attached and detached deadwood before April 1.
2
Scout your neighbourhood. Walk around and look for Siberian elms carrying deadwood in yards, along fences and in alleys.
3
Inform your neighbours. Tell them why clearing deadwood before April 1, 2027 matters, and send them this page.
4
Scout public property. Check boulevards, parks and naturalized areas near you for Siberian elm deadwood. See the map above.
5
311 public deadwood. Report deadwood on public land by phone or the 311 app, give the location, and ask for it to be removed before April 1.

Sources: Government of Alberta, How to identify an elm tree · City of Saskatoon, Elm identification handout · Minnesota Wildflowers, Siberian elm and American elm.