The first case of Dutch elm disease in Regina for 2019 has been discovered.

The fungal disease was found in a tree in the yard of a home at 222 Lincoln Drive. The tree caught the disease from another tree that had it last year.

A typical Dutch elm disease program will typically lose one per cent of elm trees per year and Regina has somewhere between 45-50,000 elm trees.

So losing, on average, anywhere from five-to-10 trees per year is something the city is proud of. Last year, there were five.

“For us to lose five trees out of that number, [45-50,000] we’re well below the one per cent so we are really pleased with that result,” said Russell Eirich, senior program manager for pests, forestry and horticulture.

Eirich said the success doesn’t mean the city is going to ease up in anyway.

“We have four crews moving throughout the city looking at the different trees, monitoring and trying to get through the city tree portion every week,” Eirich said.

“We do depend a lot on the residents. A lot of the success we have is due to the residents.”

Crews began removing the tree on Tuesday morning.

Eirich said they expect to get a few more cases of the disease before the year ends.

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