February Meeting Notes

Tonight 33 members came out to collaborate and learn. Mark Noete and Dave Lennox updated the members on the status of “The Wood Show”. Participants were reminded of the February 28 deadline for submission of entry to display their creations.

Guest Speaker

We were pleased to welcome
Dr. Dan Ronis PhD from SOS trees.
Dr. Ronis graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy and went on to earn a Masters from University of Maryland and a PhD from Michigan State.
Also an avid woodworker with concerns about our rural forest, Dan updated the club on the serious invasiveness of Dutch Elm Disease in the City of Saskatoon and how it spreads and decimates elm populations.

When showing a map of infestations in Saskatoon, he emphasized that there are no “hot spots” in the city and the disease shows up with no definite epicentre, rather the disease is distributed randomly. We have reached a point where the city arborists are in a control situation rather than attempt to eradicate the disease. In 2026, Saskatoon is projected to lose 550+ elm trees. Dan showed us examples of what we should watch for and the inherent dangers of transporting elm wood. It was quite a sobering, but incredibly important presentation. Our thank you To Dr. Ronis and SOS Trees. You can learn more by visiting SOS Trees at www.sostrees.ca.