A walker and her dog make their way along Ross Street under the shade of mature elm trees that have lined the roadway for decades. The City of Red Deer takes special care to ensure these trees, along with hundreds of others, get the proper attention they require to keep them healthy. Dutch elm disease (DED) Awareness Week is recognized annually throughout Alberta with the intent of raising awareness of what DED is, the importance of elm trees in our communities, and that DED can be prevented. This year DED Awareness Week starts Monday. DED is a fungus that’s spread by two species of elm bark beetles. The beetles use dead and dying trees as breeding sites. Every year, from April 1 to Sept. 30, pruning elm trees is prohibited to reduce the chance of the beetles entering the bark. Pruning is encouraged from Oct. 1 to March 30. It’s estimated there are more than 219,000 elms growing in Alberta’s urban communities.