Again trees with Dutch elm disease in the Vliegenbos
Elm disease was again detected in 2 trees in the Vliegenbos near the Nieuwendammerkade. Another elm standing next to it is suspicious. This is also skewed towards the campsite. This creates an unsafe situation. The trees must be cut down quickly to stop the disease from spreading further. The absent trees have been added and provided with a red and white ribbon with the text Dutch elm disease.
At the moment we inspect all 2 to 3 times a week. It is the third time in a short time that we have found Dutch elm disease in trees in the Vliegenbos. By cutting down we want to put a stop to the disease.
What is Dutch Elm Disease?
Dutch elm disease is a wilt caused by the fungus Ophiostoma ulmi sensu lato. When there is a healthy elm almost 100%.
The fungus becomes one by the elm bark beetle. This beetle nests under the bark of weak dead elms, or dead trunks and branches such as firewood, to breed and reproduce there. The beetles then fly out to elm trees in the area. As a result, the fungus ends up in a healthy elm that also becomes sick. The fungus can again infect adjacent elm trees through root contact. This process is fast and quick intervention is therefore important.
What does the municipality do?
The municipality has strict guidelines for dealing with Dutch elm disease and has drawn up an enforcement protocol for this in 2009. Every year, all elm trees in the city are inspected in order to quickly remove diseased elm trees. At the moment, extra checks are taking place throughout Amsterdam, including in the Vliegenbos.
During the inspections, an investigation is carried out and the remains of elm wood that have been left behind, in public spaces and in residents’ homes, are searched for. One of the pheromone traps (traps with an attractant to catch beetles) that are networked across the city can be used to search for places where beetles breed in dead wood.