Trees

When does the City remove trees?

We remove trees when they are a safety concern based on the three "D's" - Dead, Diseased or Dying. We prioritize removal schedules by severity of the issue. The City removes trees all-year-round.

How does the City decide which trees are removed first?

As a guideline, the Urban Forest department will prioritize each work order based on the following criteria:

Emergency

Tree poses immediate safety concerns and danger to the public. For example:

• Tree trunk or large branch has fallen across a road, blocking traffic
• Tree is splitting, cracking and/or leaning, showing signs of imminent failure

High

Tree interferes with City infrastructure, is damaging property, has been approved for removal due to building/development, has been approved due to confirmed disease and/or obstructs public or service access. For example:

• Removal of tree to repair existing utilities
• Branches rubbing against a building
• Tree blocking sanitation service delivery and/or prevent vehicle damage
• Tree root system has entered the sewer system on a private residence and removal has proven to help ongoing costs to clear the lines
• Paving program
• Tree is causing sight line or visibility issues

Low

General tree pruning and maintenance. For example:

• Tree needs pruning for the health of the tree and to relieve the weight of low hanging branches
• City-owned tree has die-back but is not considered a hazard

Why does it take so long to get a tree near my property trimmed?

Every spring our Urban Forest department receives hundreds of work requests. It can take our staff months to complete the large number of requests we get.

A windstorm can prevent us from getting to your tree right away, as safety hazards and dangerous trees take priority and move to the top of our work list.

Why are some private-owned trees removed or pruned?

The City prunes private trees that impede access to sidewalks, roadways or block the view of signage.  Right of way access is to be provided to ensure the safety of pedestrians and drivers.  In addition, trees that are categorized as Emergency or possibly High priority.

What is Dutch Elm Disease (DED)?

DED is caused by a fungus spread by tiny elm bark beetles that breed under the bark of dead or dying elm wood. If that wood contains the DED fungus, each new generation of beetles can infect healthy elms.

Signs of DED

Beginning in late June to mid-July, look for:

• Flagging - when the leaves of one or more branches near the top of the tree wilt, curl, turn yellow and then brown; remaining on the tree.
• Staining - infected twig sample will have red streaks through the sapwood.

Several other diseases have similar symptoms so the only way to confirm DED is in the lab.  Please contact the City of Prince Albert's Community Services for further assistance.

What is being done to solve the DED issue?

The Government of Saskatchewan website Dutch Elm Disease provides information on how you can help prevent DED. Most importantly, the province annually banns the pruning of elm trees from April 1 – August 31. The Urban Forest department of Prince Albert reminds residents to avoid pruning elm trees during these designated months and if you see signs of DED, please contact Community Services right away.

This legislation minimizes the spread of DED. The Urban Forest department wants to remind you that when removing an elm tree, the entire tree and stump must be removed and all waste elm be transported to the nearest approved landfill site. In Prince Albert, the City's landfill is an approved site.

If you are unsure of your responsibilities regarding elm, how to prune, remove or dispose a tree safely, we would encourage you to contact our Dutch Elm Municipal Inspector through Community Services to ensure any permits and paperwork are in hand before work begins.

Pesticides are products used to kill plants, insects and plant diseases. Pesticides used on lawns and gardens include herbicides (which kill plants), insecticides (which kill insects) and fungicides (which kill fungi).

We apply some herbicides to control dandelions and other broad leaf weeds. This is done once every year or two to sport fields, approximately every three to four years in high weed density areas.

We do not have a formal spraying schedule and do not provide residents with application dates in advance as the window of application is dependent on the weather and staffing availability.

We take the health and well-being of citizens and green spaces seriously, so all herbicides and pesticides are carefully chosen and are fully certified by both the federal and provincial governments.

Signage is posted on-site and in the table below after any necessary application.