Crews pruning a tree in Lethbridge. Contracted workers will be pruning until the end of March, 2024. (Photo: City of Lethbridge on X @LethbridgeCity)

By Justin Goulet

Branch out: Discussing the importance of tree pruning

Mar 3, 2024 | 7:45 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Residents might notice crews clipping and cleaning up trees around Lethbridge.

Contractors are pruning ahead of the spring season.

Lindsay Bell, urban forestry technician with the City of Lethbridge’s Parks and Cemeteries department said pruning is “both an art and a science to maintain trees on our streets and yards”.

He explained that pruning sees crews cutting off dead branches, looking for broken limbs and removing any fallen branches from residences.

Bell said contracted workers with Rossco’s Tree Service will be pruning until the end of March.

Nighttime construction on Hwy 3 in Lethbridge starts April 17

Apr 17, 2025

SASHA launches #BuyABed fundraiser to support vulnerable Lethbridge residents

Apr 04, 2025

$20K grants available: TELUS STORYHIVE Pan-Asian Edition opens applications April 1

Mar 18, 2025

He added that City of Lethbridge crews handle calls and other necessary work throughout the year, but the contracted workers cover the winter months, pruning whole blocks and neighbourhoods.

Bell said the best time to get this bulk pruning done is during the dormant season.

He explained, “It’s better for the trees when they’re dormant and it’s easier for the crews to see.”

“You don’t want to do any pruning in the spring as trees are leafing out and you don’t want to do any work in the fall when trees are dropping their leaves.”

He noted that roughly 600 to 1,000 trees are pruned each year in Lethbridge.

Bell stated, “We’ll get service requests for broken limbs throughout the season of course, so our [City of Lethbridge] crews look after that, but having the crews come in and do block pruning, going through neighbourhoods, we’re able to keep our trees kind of on a rotation and pruned on a regular basis.”

In total, he said there are around 50,000 trees in Lethbridge, and they serve as an important natural resource for the city. “We’re trying to look after those and keep them safe and looking good.”

Bell said focus is put on older parts of Lethbridge during the contracted pruning, as those areas have a wealth of older, mature trees.

He said, “We’ve got it down to probably about a 10, maybe 12-year cycle now as more trees are getting larger in west Lethbridge and other parts [where] it’s starting to expand.”

“Different areas, we do young trees every three years and [every] six years, we do a structural prune. Downtown trees are treated a little different and we try to get to those on a more regular basis.”

Areas that have been covered so far this winter include 6 Avenue South and 13 Street South. Residents can stay up-to-date on current tree pruning using the City of Lethbridge projects webmap.

ELM TREE PRUNING BAN

Bell noted that elm trees in particular, must be pruned before the end of March. An elm tree pruning ban comes into effect on April 1, 2024. The ban aims to prevent the spread of Dutch Elm Disease (DED).

READ MORE: Elm tree pruning ban in effect Apr. 1, aims to prevent Dutch Elm Disease

DED is caused by a fungus that can be carried on the bodies of Elm Bark Beetles who fly to new elm trees, spreading the infection as they move along. The seriousness of DED can lead to the removal of infected trees from city parks and streets. DED does not impact other tree species.

More details about DED and ways to identify the disease in trees are at the City of Lethbridge website. The ban is in effect until the end of September.

READ MORE: Elm tree pruning ban in effect Apr. 1, aims to prevent Dutch Elm Disease

—

If you have a news tip, question or concern, please email Lethbridge.newsroom@Pattisonmedia.com.

For local news delivered daily to your email inbox, subscribe for free to the Lethbridge News Now newsletter here. You can also download the Lethbridge News Now mobile app in the Google Play and the Apple App Stores.