Dutch Trig® for private home owners & organisations
Elms on private property
There are still home owners who enjoy the benefits of healthy and beautiful elms on their properties. They benefit from the beauty, shade and increased property values that mature elms provide.
All of these benefits are threatened by Dutch elm disease. The disease is capable of killing an elm tree in just three months. In the past, there were very few options for home owners to prevent their trees from contracting the disease. With the introduction of Dutch Trig®, home owners now have a simple, environmentally friendly approach to add to their elm protection strategy.
Inspections
The first aspect of the strategy is to regularly inspect the tree, or have the tree inspected by an arborist for obvious signs of Dutch elm disease.
Preventative treatments
In the US there are two different options for preventative treatments. The elm owner can choose either a chemical or a biological treatment program. The comparison table summarizes the characteristics of both treatment options. Dutch Trig® is a biological treatment that induces resistance to Dutch elm disease.
Firewood
Keeping elm logs or firewood, in any form or size, with the bark still attached, is an invitation for bark beetles to spread the disease. These logs, or firewood, can serve as a breeding ground for the beetles that vector the disease to healthy elms. Since elm logs often originate from diseased and removed trees, they are a large source ongoing infections.
Standing dead and diseased elms
Like firewood, dead or diseased elms in the area can be great sources of beetles and new Dutch elm disease infections. It is always advisable to contact the owners of these elms to explain that immediate and proper removal of these trees is important for your elm(s) survival. You can also ask your city forester to assist you in the removal of dead and diseased elms in your neighbourhood. Most cities and villages have an ordinance obligating elm owners to properly remove dead and diseased elms as soon as possible, and some cities and communities will even have the funding to do so for the owner! Contact your city forester!
Neighbourhood watch
The less DED in your neighbourhood, the better it is for all the elms in the area, including yours! There are many successful examples of local groups combining with neighbourhoods and cities to volunteer their time to check the trees and advocate for proper DED management. Creating sufficient Dutch elm disease awareness amongst elm owners is extremely helpful for identifying and removing diseased trees.
Diseased trees, treatment and curative pruning
When the first signs of DED occur and less than 5% of the entire canopy is affected, immediate pruning by an arborist to remove the infected parts can save the tree. The pruning cuts should be made at least ten feet below the last visible sign of Dutch elm disease (streaking under the bark). It is also advisable to treat the infected and pruned elm tree curatively with a chemical fungicide as long as the rate of infection in the canopy is below 5% at time of printing.
Diseased trees and Dutch Trig® vaccination
The Dutch Trig® vaccine has no curative properties. Similar to a human vaccination, there is no use in treating an already diseased tree.
Summary
From a homeowner's perspective, the low cost, environmentally safe annual application of Dutch Trig® is often the most desirable option. The cost of the annual injection and inspection by an arborist is significantly less than the chemical based treatments, even if the chemicals are only injected every third year. The absence of chemicals in the Dutch Trig® treatments and the minimal wounding of the elm tree are significant benefits to home owners and their trees.
In light of the preventative treatment options currently available there is not one treatment that is better than the other, because the characteristics are so different.
