The City of Evanston is once again offering community members the opportunity to enroll in its Private Elm Tree Insurance Program, which covers the removal of elm trees on private property lost due to Dutch elm disease (DED). The deadline to enroll in the 2020 program is Monday, June 1.
Participants re-enrolling in the program may do so online; first-time participants must complete a paper application. Both the online re-enrollment form and paper application are available at cityofevanston.org/
When DED infects a tree on private property, the homeowner bears the costs for removal, which can range from approximately $1,000 to $6,000. The City’s Private Elm Tree Insurance Program covers the cost of removing infected elm trees, and also provides free testing of insured elms if DED symptoms appear. The insurance is for a one-year period, June 1, 2020 through May 31, 2021, and must be renewed annually prior to the Dutch elm disease season.
City Arborist Michael Callahan discusses the Private Elm Insurance Program as well as the City’s treatment process for public elm trees in a short video.
For more information about the program, visit cityofevanston.org/