Application for assistance to Combat Black Knot opens

With approximately 60% of cherry or plum trees in Fort St. John infected with Black Knot, the City of Fort St. John, with support from Shell Canada, is offering assistance to remove Black Knot from infected trees on residential or commercial properties.

The application form, found at fortstjohn.ca/black-knot, is open for property owners to apply for pruning or removing Black Knot infected trees from private property. After you apply, a professional assessment and recommendation will be made for your trees’ health; however, the property owner will decide how to proceed. The application is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

“Thanks to Shell Canada, we are able to help those property owners who may not have the means to be able to prune or remove trees that are infected with Black Knot. We are asking all residents and business owners to inspect all the trees on their properties to help combat the spread of Black Knot,” says Kylah Bryde, Parks Manager with the City of Fort St. John.

Black Knot, or Apiosporina morbosa, is a deadly tree fungal disease that attacks predominately ornamental and fruit-bearing plum and cherry trees. The fungus can put the tree’s health at risk, and without removal, can eventually kill the tree.

The fungus is a slow developer, often taking a season to be visually apparent and producing spores, then spread to other trees by wind, rain, wildlife, and tools. Once mature, Black Knot presents itself as uneven, hard, dark growths that wrap around branches and twigs.

In addition to assisting the pruning or removal of infected trees from private property, the City continues a community-wide tree pruning campaign in public parks and spaces to combat spread. For more information on Black Knot, visit fortstjohn.ca/black-knot.

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Media Contact
Ryan Harvey
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250 794 3313