Dutch Elm Disease Insurance for Trees on Private Property

HELPING PROPERTY OWNERS

Dutch elm disease (DED) is a fungal disease that targets elm trees, and primarily American elms. DED spreads easily between trees and quickly throughout a tree, sometimes killing a mature elm tree in one season. The City of Evanston's Forestry Division cares for tens of thousands of trees throughout our parks, public areas, and miles of beautiful parkways. The City manages these trees with regular pruning and other maintenance measures, as well as testing elm trees for DED, and removing public trees which have become too diseased to save. But when DED infects a tree on private property, the property owner is responsible for the cost, which can be quite high.  

To ease this potential financial burden, Evanston Forestry is pleased to offer a Private Elm Tree Insurance Program, which covers the removal of elm trees on private property lost due to DED.

Property owners  locate, measure, and enroll individual trees on their property each year by April 15th. The City helps to monitor these elm trees, and provides free testing if an insured elm is showing symptoms of DED.

Note: City staff are available to help identify elm trees on private property. Please contact forestry@cityofevanston.org or via  311 if you would like assistance.

If the tree tests positive for DED but symptoms are present in in 5% or less of the tree's canopy, property owners may pay a certified and qualified forestry professional to stop the spread, including cutting out the diseased portion and inoculating the tree. For liability reasons, City staff do not provide any type of care for trees on private property. 

If an insured tree shows signs of infection in greater than 5% of its canopy, it requires removal. The City contracts with a highly qualified and fully insured tree care company to remove the tree to "ground level" and the City pays that cost. Property owners can have the remaining stump removed at their own expense, either at the time of the removal or at a later date.

ENROLLMENT PROCESS

Property owners apply and pay by April 15th of each year. All elm trees must be enrolled by this date to qualify for this insurance, and late submissions will not be accepted. 

To reduce paper consumption and promote resource conservation, please consider enrolling and submitting your payment online. This option is available for both new and returning participants and the form is accessible here:

ENROLL HERE: https://arts.formstack.com/forms/dedinsurance

Alternatively, property owners may download and submit a paper application with a check.

The 2025 form is available here: 2025-2026 DED Insurance

To qualify for the 2025-2026 season, all materials must be submitted by TUESDAY APRIL 15, 2025.  Late submissions will not be accepted, and there will be no exceptions.

*The deadline is now April 15th of every year, instead of June 1st as it has been in past years. This is due to the changing climate and the earlier leaf-out.*

In early June of each year, Forestry Division staff regularly inspects American elm trees on both public and private property to look for symptoms of DED. When an elm tree is diagnosed with DED and exhibits symptoms in greater than 5% of its canopy, City of Evanston ordinance requires its removal within 30 days.

The City is responsible for removing trees on City property (including parkways), but trees on private property are the responsibility of the homeowner. Removing a mature elm tree can cost $2,000 - $7,000 and beyond for very large trees. Homeowners are responsible for the cost of removing uninsured trees, and the work must be completed within 30 days, as mandated by City ordinance.

Proactively managing the health and maintenance of elm trees will help them to stay as healthy as possible so that they can defend themselves against DED. The City recommends that elm trees be inspected at least every 3 years by a certified and/or qualified arborist. Recommend maintenance may include regular deadwood pruning and/or injections that are proven to be 98% effective in preventing initial DED infection.

Tree maintenance should always be completed by qualified, certified, and fully insured tree care professionals. Please note that maintenance is strongly recommended and beneficial to elm trees, but not required for participation in the insurance program.

Homeowners can help all trees by mulching trees correctly, as shown here: 

https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-and-plant-advice/horticulture-care/mulching-trees-and-shrubs

In times of extreme drought, some trees may benefit from receiving water:  

https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-and-plant-advice/horticulture-care/watering-trees-and-shrubs

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON DUTCH ELM DISEASE

City of Evanston Dutch elm disease page

https://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/pest_al/ded/elm.pdf  (USDA’s Pest Alert)

http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/dutch-elm-disease/  (University of Minnesota Extension)