Climbers' Corner • Tree Academy
Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday
Partnerships in Urban Forest Management: The Winnipeg, Manitoba Story
Summary
Dutch
elm disease (DED) was first detected in Winnipeg in 1975. For over 37 years,
the City of Winnipeg has actively managed an integrated DED management program
like no other city in North America. To this day, Winnipeg maintains the
largest elm population in any North American city, currently estimated to be
approximately 140,000 elms. The success of Winnipeg’s program is due to the
fact that key stakeholders identified the threat of the disease to the city’s
urban forest well before the disease was discovered in Winnipeg, which led to
the early establishment of long-term partnerships and the commitment to
maintain an integrated pest management program to protect our urban forest from
DED. These partnerships provide financial, operational, research, and community
support to the City of Winnipeg. The preservation of our elm population has
become ever more important as we prepare for new invasive pests, particularly
emerald ash borer (EAB). Our long-standing partnerships are aiding our
preparations for EAB, and in preserving the health of an urban forest that
grows on the Canadian Prairies and has inherently low species diversity. As our
urban forests continue to encounter threats from additional and even more
destructive invasive pests, the creation and fostering of these partnerships
are critical in maintaining the quality of life we expect in our communities.
Conference Proceedings Documents
Presenters
Martha Barwinsky, M.Sc., ISA Certified Arborist
Martha Barwinsky is City Forester for the City of Winnipeg. She has worked in arboriculture and urban forestry for over 15 years, wearing a variety of hats as a researcher, instructor, practicing arborist and consultant, executive director of a non-profit community urban forestry organization and urban forestry operations supervisor for the City of Winnipeg.
Climbers' Corner • Tree Academy
Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday