Positive Pruning & Maintenance

07/19/2025

Had a great day working in Gleichen yesterday.

Dedicated, professional attention to all your tree pruning or tree removal needs. Fully insured & WCB

07/04/2025

NOT missing the corporate world and office politics.

06/20/2025

Bring on the rain. We sure do need it.

06/12/2024

Investing in new equipment to serve you better.

03/28/2024

Only you can prevent DED- How to care for your elm trees before the pruning ban
Written by Jillian Warrack Tuesday, Mar 19 2024, 1:00 PM
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Photo by Jillian Warrack

There is only a week or so left to prune your elm trees in Alberta before the pruning ban.

Elm trees can only be pruned in the province from October 1 to March 31, and this is because of Dutch Elm Disease (DED).

According to the Government of Alberta, DED is a “costly and deadly disease that affects all species of elm trees in Alberta. It is caused by a fungus that clogs the elm tree’s water-conducting system, causing the tree to die.”

The fungus is spread from one elm to another by three types of beetle species, which are:

The smaller European elm bark beetle (Scolytus multistriatus)
Banded elm bark beetle (Scolytus schevyrewi)
Native elm bark beetle (Hylurgopinus rufipes)

Barry Munchrath, owner of Positive Pruning and Maintenance, spoke about the importance of pruning your elm trees in this designated time frame.

“It is important to prune elm trees between October 1 and March 31 because the tree is dormant. Even though pruning is essential and effective, it does create wounds on the tree. If you were to prune an elm tree in the middle of summer, you are leaving an open wound on the tree, which can attract the elm bark beetle,” Munchrath said.

According to the government, Alberta has the largest DED-free stand of American elm in the world, and it is one of the last two locations in the world that are free of DED, due to diligent tracking and monitoring.

“The fact that DED is being tracked so carefully is having a very positive effect on keeping control of the disease, which is important because trees that are affected can die within a span as short as three weeks,” Munchrath said.

A recent case of DED was in July 2020, when the City of Lethbridge had two elm trees that tested positive for the disease, which were immediately removed, and this was considered an isolated case.

Even though Alberta is free of DED, it can be spread very easily through firewood as well.

“If you go camping, please do not transport firewood. Elm firewood is one of the largest spreaders of elm bark beetles that can carry DED. Beetles can hitch a ride on infected elm firewood and be carried by unsuspecting campers and homeowners. It is illegal to bring elm material into Alberta from a DED-infected province such as Saskatchewan,” it states on the Albert Government website.

If you do have elm trees on your property, it is important to always monitor them.

“If you believe that your tree has been infected with DED, call a professional to come take a look. Keep an eye out for various branches where all the leaves start to droop and go brown in patches throughout the tree, as this is usually the first indicator that the tree has been infected,” Munchrath said.

Other symptoms can be spotted inside the trunk of the tree, but according to Munchrath, it's best to leave that up to the experts to determine, as stripping the bark creates an open wound.

“There's a difference between the leaves turning brown in the fall and just having to die back in sporadic spots in the tree; that is a sign of a problem.”

Keeping your trees as healthy as possible is the best way to prevent DED and other tree diseases.

This includes regular pruning, maintaining soil composition, and frequent watering—even on mature trees.

“I refer to the 3 D's: you need to look out for dead, diseased, or damaged branches when it comes to pruning. You shouldn't leave those in a tree, as it can affect overall health and invite unwanted pests.”

“Soil composition is extremely important as well. If you have a tree that's 40 years old and the soil has never been touched, that soil has degraded over time and will need to be amended."

Most importantly, thorough watering is essential for trees in Alberta, especially due to the previous and upcoming summer drought conditions.

“It's also important to take into consideration the changing climate and how much hotter it is getting in the summers. Make sure you’re watering your trees enough, and if you have rocks at the base of the tree, remove them as they generate more heat and stress on the tree.”

The elm tree pruning ban will kick into effect on April 1 and will continue until September 31.

If you suspect an elm tree is infected, you can report it to the STOPDED hotline at 1-877-837-3567.

Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to [email protected].

03/28/2024

Local arborist concerned about trees amid drought, possible water restrictions
Written by Jillian Warrack Thursday, Mar 21 2024, 9:00 AM
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Photo from the Positive Pruning and Maintenance page.

As we get closer to the summer months, drought conditions and worries about water restrictions have recently been at the top of the news and everybody's minds.

During periods of water restrictions, lawn and yard care often are not seen as a priority, and because of this, trees in the area suffer immensely due to a lack of consistent moisture.

Trees are important and beneficial to all of society. On top of producing oxygen, it is proven that mature trees add significantly to property value.

In an interview with Barry Munchrath, owner of Positive Pruning and Maintenance, he discussed how to keep trees healthy amid drought conditions.

“The most important thing is ensuring your trees get enough water periodically. And that does create a challenge for some as water prices in municipalities continue to go up," Munchrath said. “The price of water is impacting what people are doing, and my fear is that if these drought conditions continue for years and years, we are going to start losing a percentage of our trees, and that's going to be very important to evaluate.”

During periods of drought, watering trees, especially mature ones, often goes ignored.

According to Munchrath, “people forget that once a tree is big and established, it doesn't need any watering attention, but that's wrong. A mature tree needs a lot more water than a young, new tree.”

Due to fewer people focusing on watering their trees, Munchrath has said he has seen a shift in his business.

“I would have to say that unfortunately, tree removal is most of my business right now, especially last summer. I absolutely prefer to prune trees rather than remove them.”

Amidst all the talk of municipalities preparing for drought conditions this summer, Munchrath believes that his business will be consistent with last year.

“Even though we are getting a big dump of snow right now, which is good, it is the lack of consistent moisture throughout June, July, and August that really beats up our trees.”

Watering trees with a hose doesn't have to be the only option. Munchrath emphasizes the importance of taking advantage of rainfall when it comes.

“I want to stress the importance of harvesting your rainfall from the roof of your house. It is very important and can change the entire health of your trees.”

Munchrath says on his property he has one rain barrel dedicated to each tree, and last year, even with drought conditions, each of his trees received more than 300 gallons of extra water that he saved from rainfall.

Because of this, he cut down on watering costs while having lush and thriving trees.

Even if you do not own a rain barrel, Munchrath suggests directing the downspouts from an eavestrough to the trees.

“We’re really beyond the days where we can just rely on nature to give the trees everything they need. And any extra water a tree owner can dedicate to their trees will make a dramatic difference.”

Some places in the province have already started preparing, such as the City of Chestermere, which announced last week it was preparing for potential drought conditions. And back in February, Alberta’s Drought Command Team announced they would begin water-sharing negotiations to mitigate the risk of drought due to below-average snow and record-low rivers this past winter.

If anticipated drought conditions are similar to the previous year, according to Munchrath, conserving rainfall in any way possible could be essential to the survival of trees in the province.

Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to [email protected].

03/19/2024

We were happy to do an interview today with Strathmorenow.

There is only a week or so left to prune your elm trees in Alberta before the pruning ban. Elm trees can only be pruned in the province from October 1 to March 31, and this is because of Dutch Elm Disease (DED). According to the Government of Alberta, DED is a “costly and deadly disease that affec...

03/19/2024

We were happy to provide an interview to StrathmoreNow today:

There is only a week or so left to prune your elm trees in Alberta before the pruning ban. Elm trees can only be pruned in the province from October 1 to March 31, and this is because of Dutch Elm Disease (DED). According to the Government of Alberta, DED is a “costly and deadly disease that affec...

10/13/2023

Trudeau finally got spanked....hard, on his massive over reach on provincial authority on resource development. Finally some sanity for Canadians.

Canada’s top court has delivered a highly anticipated judgment, writing in a majority opinion that Ottawa’s Impact Assessment Act (IAA), formerly Bill C-69, is largely unconstitutional.

10/12/2023

With fall upon us, take advantage of the mild weather to remove dead, diseased or damaged branches from your trees. As leaves begin to fall, take advantage of this time to have structural pruning completed.

Fall and winter pruning can you save you money and is the optimal time for deciduous trees.

If you still have some tree stumps to contend with, we are also looking to complete grinding before winter freeze up.

Proudly serving the County of Wheatland for 20 years.

06/20/2023

Positive Pruning & Maintenance is a local company serving the County of Wheatland and points beyond.

Feel free to contact us for your free quote which we will provide within 24 hours.

We can look after all your tree/shrub needs including: removal of dead, diseased or damaged branches, encroachments, structural pruning, reductions, removal and stump grinding.