Expansion of the Dutch elm disease regulated areas into British Columbia and Saskatchewan
June 16, 2026
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has updated its regulated areas for Dutch elm disease (DED) to include an area in south-central British Columbia (BC) and the entire Province of Saskatchewan (SK).
The regulated area in BC includes parts of the Regional Districts of Kootenay Boundary and Central Kootenay. This follows the confirmation of the first detections of DED in BC in July 2024.
Dutch elm disease has been present in Saskatchewan since 1981, and has slowly spread east to west, with the most recent detections in the City of Saskatoon in 2025.
Movement restrictions are in place to protect Canada’s landscape and economy by helping to prevent the spread of DED to non-infested areas of Canada.
All species, hybrids and horticultural cultivars of elm (Ulmus and Zelkova spp.) cannot be moved out of a regulated area or infested province to an uninfested province. Movements to a regulated area in a partially infested province require a movement certificate issued by a local CFIA office. This restriction applies to propagative material (e.g. nursery stock) and non-propagative material with bark attached such as logs, lumber, firewood, crates and isolated bark.
DED is a regulated plant disease in Canada. It is caused by a fungus, Ophiostoma ulmi (Buisman) and Ophiostoma novo-ulmi (Brasier), which blocks the tree’s ability to conduct water and causes the tree to die. The fungus is mainly spread by elm bark beetles, and all species of American elm are susceptible.
The CFIA works with federal, provincial, Indigenous and municipal partners, as well as industry, to help slow the spread of the disease and protect Canada’s landscape and economy.
If you spot symptoms of DED in elm trees outside of a DED regulated area, report it to the CFIA to support early detection.
Quick facts
- DED is present in most parts of Canada. British Columbia is now designated as partially infested, while both Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador continue to maintain their DED-free status. The CFIA regulates this disease to protect Canada’s forests, municipal trees and nurseries and to support related provincial government activities that mitigate the impact of DED.
- Moving firewood is one of the highest risk pathways for accidentally introducing DED into pest-free areas. The public is encouraged to buy local and burn local to reduce the risk of spreading DED or other invasive species.
- All species of North American elm trees should not be pruned between April 1 to September 30 to reduce the risk of spread.