Vern Hildahl served in the armed forces during World War II. He coached and managed many community sports teams, was a founder of the Harrow Recreation Centre, the first president of the Harrow School Parents Association, a Boy Scout Leader and active on the executive of his church.
In 1945 he joined the Canadian Forestry Service. In a career that spanned 35 years with the federal government and 10 years in a shared position with the Manitoba government and City of Winnipeg, Vern conducted research and contributed scientific papers on Forest Tent Caterpillar, Cankerous and Spruce Bud Worm infestations. It was his contribution to the understanding of Dutch elm disease that earned him international recognition.
During the 1950’s, Eastern Canada and the U.S. saw its American Elms obliterated by Dutch elm disease. Vern Hildahl extensively researched the outbreak of the disease and became convinced the Native Elm Bark Beetle, an insect that had been here long before the outbreak of Dutch Elm Disease was responsible. Scientists from all over North America and Europe were coming to Winnipeg to hear Vern Hildahl lecture on the subject.
He convinced local authorities to commit funds to his program to control the disease by an aggressive sanitation program which involved pruning dead branches from trees, removing dead trees and properly disposing of elm wood. Cities like Winnipeg, Chicago, and Syracuse implemented his program, the loss of elms was around 2% per year, compared to 95% loss in other communities who did not implement his program.
