The towns and cities that dot the vast agricultural landscape of southern Manitoba, are lush, green oases in summer.

The legacy of our forefathers who planted countless trees along streets and in public spaces for beautification, shade & shelter, these dense, largely deciduous green spaces provide wildlife habitat and shelter year-round.

What is an Urban Forest?

The urban forest is the green space of our communities. It is a mixture of publicly and privately owned native and non-native trees.

The native species in Manitoba's urban forests often include American elm, bur oak, green ash, trembling aspen, cottonwood, Manitoba maple (box elder), mountain ash, basswood and white spruce.

Our urban forests also contain non-native species such as Siberian elm, Colorado blue spruce, silver maple and Scots pine.

Today's urban forests face a variety of threats associated with their setting. In addition to natural insect and disease problems, urban trees can be damaged by the salt applied to our streets in winter, air and water pollution, soil compaction and vandalism.

Dutch Elm Disease Control

The Forest Health and Renewal section of Forestry Branch delivers the Dutch Elm Disease Cost Shared Communities Agreement program. Communities that take part in this program share the cost and labour of Dutch elm disease management with the Province.

For information about Dutch elm disease in the City of Winnipeg, call 986-7623 or visit their web site.