City of Bismarck to Begin Annual Elm Firewood Inspections
BISMARCK, N.D.— City Forester, Christy Ames-Davis, announced that the Forestry Division will begin its annual search for elm bark beetle overwintering and breeding habitat the week of March 16, 2026. This work plays a critical role in protecting Bismarck’s urban forest from Dutch elm disease.
The most effective way to prevent Dutch elm disease is to remove the habitat the beetle needs to survive the winter. Elm wood with tight bark—often found in firewood piles—provides insulation that allows beetles to make it through freezing temperatures. Removing this wood before spring prevents the insects from emerging a
s temperatures rise.
“Our success comes from three key practices,” Ames-Davis said. “Thorough summer inspections to detect diseased trees, prompt removal of infected trees, and eliminating elm bark beetle habitat by enforcing the debarking or disposal of dead elm wood and stumps.”
City arborists will survey neighborhoods across Bismarck. If elm firewood is found, it will be marked with orange paint to help residents identify it. Property owners will have ten days to debark, burn, or dispose of the material.
A detailed notice will be left at each property with information about the beetle’s lifecycle and tips for identifying elm wood compared to other common firewood types.
As noted in the NDSU Extension publication Dutch Elm Disease, “A few elm logs secreted away by one homeowner who does not understand the importance of the problem can undo all attempts at thorough sanitation and watchful disease surveillance for an area of several city blocks.”
Elm Bark Beetle Firewood Inspection