DED symptoms, wilting leaves that yellow then brown, result when the fungus clogs the vascular tissue of the tree, preventing water to the crown.

According to Linda Haugen, a plant pathologist with the USDA Forest Service in St. Paul, Minn., preventive fungicide injection, eradicative pruning and fungicide injection and insecticide treatment are generally the only options available for individual trees.

The village’s environmental committee is drafting a proposal to fund an educational campaign to send letters to residents and give them tips on spotting the disease and telling them who to contact if their trees are infected. The goal is to treat the trees when possible or immediately remove them if they are dead. A village ordinance mandates that residents with diseased or dead trees are required to remove them immediately or face legal penalties.