The American Elm is the Massachusetts State Tree.
Return to homepage
Return to Arbor Day
Return to Tree Scavenger Hunt
For information on Harvard's elm care plan.
The following is from:
http://www.mpelectric.com/treebook/fact114.html
AMERICAN ELM
Ulmus americana
Outstanding Features:
Tolerance to urban conditions. Excellent vase shape makes it an ideal
street tree.
Description:
Height: 50-75' Width: 35-50'
Hardiness Zone: 3a
American Elm is a large, fast growing tree with a broad vase shape.
It has an excellent form as a street tree. It is native throughout the
upper midwest and much of North America. Prior to the onset of Dutch elm
disease in this country, it made up a high proportion of the street tree
community throughout much of the United States. Leaves are medium green,
turning yellow in the fall.
Requirements and Culture:
Tolerant to a wide range of soils and climatic conditions. Very tolerant
of city conditions. Somewhat brittle and requires some pruning to remove
dead and broken branches. Preventative maintenance against Dutch elm disease
is recommended for valuable older specimens.
Limitations:
The primary limitation is its susceptibility to Dutch elm disease which
has killed most of the old established trees in much of the country. It
is also susceptible to phloem necrosis and elm leaf beetle. Because of
these problems it is no longer recommended for landscaping. American Elm
has shallow roots which may damage sidewalks and drain tiles.
Photo Credit: 1 & 2 MLA.
Minnesota Power | University of Minnesota | Northern States Power Company
Following from http://www.forelms.org/restore.htm
Restoring the American ElmThis picture is worth a thousand . . . elms?
Gillet Ave., in Waukegan, IL, as it appeared in the Summer of 1962, and
the same street, same spot, ten years later, with its avenue of elms wiped
out by Dutch elm disease.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
We don't have a magic wand to turn all the Gillet Avenues in our country
back into graceful green archways overnight, but we do have a preventive
treatment that works against Dutch Elm disease and a disease-resistant
AMERICAN LIBERTY ELM for replanting. It will take effort and funding to
put these tools to practical use. Your membership check will help. Your
active participation in the following programs will get the job done.
If we all work together, the American elm will once again take its
rightful place on our landscape for future generations of Americans to
cherish.
? THE RE-ELMING OF ROUTE 1- Bring back the glory of elms to America's
first great highway - from Maine to Florida!
? LIBERTY TREE MEMORIAL -Your town can establish a Liberty Tree Memorial,
a green and growing replica of the famed Liberty Tree of the American Revolution.
? CONSCIENTIOUS INJECTOR PROGRAM-A group of devoted people who take
time from their busy lives to insure the preservation of the elms on their
own property, an entire street or an entire city. Why not join them?
? JOHNNY ELMSEED REGIONAL NURSERY PROGRAM - A community service project
that will restore elms to cities and town and at the same time provide
funding for organizations such as Boy Scouts and other non-profit volunteer
groups.
? MEMBERSHIP PROGRAMS -You, as an individual can join in the re-elming
effort with an individual or family membership. Click here to see the benefits.
SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMS- Your business, organization or civic group can
sponsor a program that will benefit and beautify communities in your area,
restore stately elms and raise funds for your organization. Click here
to learn about ERI's matching grant offer.
Introducing. . .The American Liberty Elm Frequently Asked Questions
about the American Liberty Elm
Elm Care and Preservation
Membership Programs Sponsorship Programs
Press Releases Regional Nurseries
Answers to Most Frequently Asked Questions
? Q: Is the American Liberty Elm a hybrid?
A: NO! Not to be confused with Asian or European hybrids, the new American
Liberty elm is the result of over fifty years of selection and research.
The Liberty elm is a collection of six American elms that survived rigorous
testing with injections of live Dutch elm disease fungus. They were developed
through cross-pollination with American elms which have natural resistance
to the disease, and are true American elms. The strain is kept pure through
vegetative propagation of the trees. Your tree is an exact copy of one
of the trees that survived the testing in the 1960's and 1970's.
? Q: How big will my tree get? Are there any big elms left?
A: Elms are a long-lived species; they can live to be 200-275 years
old and grow to 100 feet in height, with a crown spread of 60-65 feet.
Herbie, located in Yarmouth, ME, is thought to be the oldest living elm
in the Northeast. Planted in 1775, Herbie measures more than 20 ft. in
circumference. Your Liberty elm may turn out to be as famous as Herbie!
? Q: What is the best location for my Liberty elm? How far from buildings,
streets, and other trees can I plant?
A: Apart from their natural beauty, elms are unequaled as a shade tree.
Plantings on the south or west side of your house can provide cooling in
the summer. Elms lining a street or driveway cast a cooling shadow on hot
summer pavement. The elm's strongest roots tend to go downward instead
of laterally. Liberty elms are tolerant of salt conditions and soil compaction,
making them a perfect tree for urban street planting. The minimum distance
from the street or sidewalk should be 2 ft.; 15 ft. from a house and 30
ft. from another tree.
? Q: Can I plant in the median strip in front of my house?
A: In many localities the median between the sidewalk and street is
owned by the town or city, and their regulations must be followed. Check
your town ordinances. Elms can thrive in this location and can be planted
under power wires, because they will rise above them in a few years.
? Q: What is the best time to plant?
A: Early spring or early fall is the best time for your young elm to
become established, when temperatures are lower and rainfall is more abundant.
A fall-planted tree will arrive near or completely dormant, but its root
system will continue growing until the ground freezes. It will be ready
to burst into growth when Spring arrives in your area.
? Q: What are the best soil conditions for planting?
A: Elms will tolerate a wide range of soil conditions, especially once
they are established. For the best start for your elm, make sure the soil
is well-drained and not too compacted. The pH should be between 6.0 and
7.0, and the soil should have a medium to high level of nutrients.
? Q: How long can I wait before I plant my tree after it arrives? Can
I pot it and keep it indoors for the winter?
A: You should plant your tree as soon as possible after its arrival;
however, weather or other factors may delay your planting. In the fall,
do not bring the tree inside for long-term storage or growing. If unexpected
weather conditions prevent you from fall planting, store the potted tree
outside or in an unheated area with a 3-6 inch covering of mulch (hay,
leaves, wood chips, blankets) around the pot only. Plant as soon as possible
in the Spring.
? Q: Can I grow my elm in a pot before transplanting to a permanent
location?
A: Sometimes it is not feasible to transplant your elm directly to
its permanent location -- in some spots a 2 ft. tree can easily be run
over by a snowplow or lawn mower. Your elm can be grown in a pot for easy
transplanting, but you must remember to give it ample water-- daily, in
hot summer weather. Another method is to bury the pot in the ground or
to use a root-control bag. Make sure that a pot of ample size is used (minimum
of a 5-gallon for an 8' tree).
? Q: How deep should I plant the tree? How should I prepare the hole?
A: The hole does not have to be very big -- 8-12" in diameter for a
2 ft. tree, 1-1/2- 2 ft. in diameter for a 10 ft. tree. The hole should
be about as deep as it is wide. If your soil is very sandy, you can add
compost or other organic material to aid in water retention. If your soil
is highly compacted, rough up the sides and bottom of the hole with a shovel
to help the roots break into the surrounding soil.
Plant the tree at the original soil level. Soil or a heavy layer of
mulch that touches the trunk can rot the young undeveloped bark and kill
the tree.
? Q: How often should I water?
A: Watering thoroughly after planting the tree is a must. After that,
soil conditions, rainfall and temperature will determine how much water
to give your tree. Remember that in the first year after planting that
your tree does not have a deep root system to help it through hot or dry
periods. When watering, deep watering is more beneficial that several light
sprinklings.
? Q: Should I stake my tree?
A: Your tree should be staked the first two years to protect it from
being blown or pushed over before its roots are well-anchored into its
surroundings. Staking a small tree also helps keep the trunk straight.
Make sure that any ties used are loose enough to allow for growth.
? Q: How can I protect my tree from deer, mice and rabbits?
A: Mice and rabbits can be deterred with fencing, trees guards or a
spray repellent such as Ropel. Tree guards are also effective in preventing
girdling from string trimmers. Deer have increasingly become a problem
in suburban areas. Homemade deterrents include hanging bars of fragrant
soap or a 6-ft. wire guard. A commercial spray repellent such as Hinder
can also be effective.
? Q: How can I control insects like Japanese beetles?
A: Most insects do minimal damage to your tree if it is healthy and
rapidly growing; often a hand-picking is all that is needed to eliminate
the problem. However, there are times when insects may begin to overwhelm
your trees. Most can be controlled with one or two sprays of insecticidal
soap or Sevin insecticide. Sevin is effective in killing the adults present,
but must be repeated often to control the new beetles that fly in. Make
sure that the damage to the tree warrants any measures taken against insect
pests. Periodic checks of your tree can catch insect problems while they
are small and easier to control.
? Q: Do I need to inject my Liberty elm with Elm Fungicide?
A: No. Your Liberty elm is resistant to Dutch elm disease (DED) and
does not need to be injected. Elm Fungicide is a preventive/therapeutic
treatment used in the fight to save the remaining large non-resistant elms
from DED.
? Q: When should I prune my tree?
A: Pruning your young elm tree is important to develop a strong well-shaped
tree. Pruning needs to be done 1-3 times a year during the first few years
of growth. A detailed set of pruning instructions is sent with each tree.
? Q: What should I do if my tree looks abnormal or develops yellow or
brown foliage?
A: First, contact ERI to find possible causes of your tree's problem.
If soil samples need to be sent, collect it from several locations within
the root zone of the elm. Mix and send a 1/4 cup of the soil. If branch
samples need to be analyzed, collect branches from the affected area(s)
that are 1/2" - 1-1/2" in diameter. Wrap in plastic. Do not add water or
moist paper towels. Send as quickly as possible to ERI. Photos can also
aid in the diagnosis. Allow 10-14 days for results.
? Q: How can I attach a tag or plaque to my tree?
A: The brass tag can be hung loosely by a wire suspended across a branch
crotch until the tree is large enough to attach it with screws. Plaques
can be mounted on posts or set into stones or cement in front of the tree.
? Q: If my tree dies, will you replace it?
A: The 10-year warranty that comes with your tree covers Dutch elm
disease only, and provides for free replacement with a tree of comparable
size (up to 6 ft.). We cannot be responsible for tree deaths that occur
from winter kill, drought, vandalism, weed trimmers, lawn mowers, animal
loss or soil-related problems. If your tree is lost to one of these causes,
we will replace it for you at half-price. Trees suspected of DED death
must have the diagnosis confirmed in the ERI lab and the warranty card
must be on file with ERI.
Does your elm qualify as a
HISTORIC ELM?
Should your elm be accepted for listing on the National Honor Roll
of Historic Elms, and should you decide to join E.R.I., you may purchase
fungicide and rent equipment at 1/2 price (see below).
? 1. One year membership in E.R.I. with all privileges for $30.00, includes
your choice of a 1-2 ft. American Liberty elm or one gallon of Elm Fungicide
for only $15.00.
? 2. FREE newsletters filled with all the latest information on D.E.D.
research and helpful hints on how to care for your elms.
? 3. FREE commemorative scroll acknowledging your elm as a member of
the National Honor Roll of Historic Elms. It is suitable for framing, and
we hope you will display it proudly in your home.
? 4. A handsome plaque (optional) for your tree designating it as a
Historic Elm for a $30.00 charge.
? 5. Preventative treatment for your elm for one year against Dutch
elm disease and this includes: Elm fungicide at $15.00 per gallon (regularly
$30.00 per gallon) and the use of a Model 104 rental injector for the application
of the fungicide available at a rental cost of $12.50 per working day (regularly
$25.00 per working day) plus shipping costs and $60.00 deposit, $50.00
refundable upon return of the injector. (Most trees can be treated in less
than 24 hours.)
All prices include shipping and handling costs except where noted.
HISTORIC ELM QUESTIONAIRE
If you can answer " yes " to the following questions, you may be entitled
to register your elm on the Honor Roll of Historic Elms.
1. Is it in good health?
2. Is it 10 feet in circumference when measured at 4 feet above ground
level?
3. If it is not 10 feet in circumference, is it 8 feet, does it have a classic elm shape and is it located in a prominent historical location?
If your elm meets these criteria, we urge you register it for the National Honor Roll of Historic Elms. Please indicate your interest by e-mailing ERI a request for the Historic Elm Registration Form. Be sure to include your name, postal address and phone number.
Elm Restoration Project for Earth and Arbor Day
Each year communities and conservation groups seek new and innovative
ways to participate in EARTH DAY and ARBOR DAY celebrations.
One unique approach that’s valuable and steadily gaining in popularity
is the JOHNNY ELMSEED REGIONAL NURSERY PROJECT. This special program is
designed to restore the American elm to its former glory by replanting
with the disease-resistant AMERICAN LIBERTY ELM.
Over 100 million American elms were wiped out by Dutch elm disease
bringing this species to near extinction.
Elm Research Institute, a non-profit organization based in Westmoreland,
NH, is responsible for the development of the LIBERTY ELM. This one-of-a-kind
native elm, not to be confused with Asian or European hybrids, is a product
of over 50 years of research, selection, breeding and field-testing.
LIBERTY ELMS are the only resistant elms that come with a ten-year
warranty against Dutch elm disease. They are the old-fashioned, classic
vase-shaped elms Americans had a love affair with before D.E.D. devastated
the country.
The goal of Elm Research Institute is to distribute 1 million LIBERTY
ELMS by the turn of the century. American Liberty elms are arriving by
the hundreds in cities under the newly-expanded Regional Nursery program,
recently introduced by Elm Research Institute. With the help of local Boy
Scouts and other volunteer non-profit groups, the young trees are planted
in
the Johnny Elmseed Regional Nursery and grown until they reach street-planting
size in just two to three short years.
Your nonprofit group can get 100-1000 free trees to plant disease-resistant
American Liberty elms in your community. Groups are selected through an
application process. Once funding has been secured by a local sponsor,
ERI provides trees at no cost to the volunteer nonprofit group selected.
Or, you may choose to enroll as an individual member for $30. For a limited
time, ERI will provide a 2-3ft. tree to first-time members.
To learn more about the JOHNNY ELMSEED project, call 1-800-FOR-ELMS,
or write to Elm Research Institute, Elm Street,Westmoreland, NH 03467.
Together we can bring back the “good old days” when our streets were
lined with graceful American elms.
Elm Research Institute assists in project for year 2000
French photographer plans life-size photo exhibit of world’s oldest
trees
Elm Research Institute (ERI), Westmoreland, N.H., has announced it is
assisting French photographer, Jerome Hutin, in his projects to photograph
and exhibit life-size photos of the world’s oldest trees and to promote
the planting of a new tree for each child born in the year 2000.
“These are wonderful projects to call attention to the grandeur and
value of trees,” said John P. Hansel, director of the nonprofit institute,
which propagates and distributes the disease-resistant American Liberty
elm.
With Hutin engaged in a worldwide photographing tour, the institute
is currently providing information on his projects through press releases
and development of a website at http://www.jhutin-arbor2000.com.
Hutin’s one-year tour started Sept. 1 in Canada and the United States.
In December he expects to move on to Mexico and South America, and in 1999
he will be in the South Pacific, East Asia, Africa, the Mediterranean area
and Europe.
Some of the oldest trees he will photograph include the huon pine, Tasmania,
20,000 years old; the bristlecone pine, California, 4,900 years; the yew,
United Kingdom, 3,000 years. The oldest elm in his exhibit will be a 300-year-old
elm growing in Salignac, France. Hutin lives in Salignac.
His traveling exhibit will convey the message of preserving nature
and living in harmony with the environment. The exhibit will take two forms.
By day, the public will view life-size photographic canvases installed
on the outside of buildings. The largest canvas, 75 ft. high and 345 ft.
long, will show a 200-year-old banyan tree photographed in Calcutta. The
canvas for a sequoia in California will be 400 ft. tall.
By night, life-size tree images will be projected onto giant, lighted,
inflatable screens. Also, 3-D laser shows will depict, within a period
of minutes, the growth of a tree over the span of thousands of years.
Hutin has identified potential exhibition sites, such as Los Angeles,
New York City, Chicago, Washington D.C., Vancouver, Montreal, Tokyo, Sydney,
Hong Kong, Hanover, and Paris. Other cities may request the exhibit.
Individuals and businesses wishing to sponsor a canvas or to provide
financial support or in-kind donations may contact Hutin at jeromehutin@hotmail.com.
Information on sponsorship is included at his website.
A book of Hutin’s photos of the world’s oldest trees will be published
by Jean Claude Lattes Editions, France.
Hutin has offered to photograph some of the oldest and largest American
elm specimens in the United States for ERI. A book on the history of the
American elm is in the planning stages at the institute, Hansel said. Garden
writer Allan Swenson will write the text.
The exhibits are linked with Hutin’s other project that asks people
to plant a tree in the name of every child born throughout the world in
the year 2000. ERI will work with sponsors worldwide to supply the American
Liberty elm as one of the species to be planted.
Pledges for tree donations will be accepted by ERI at 603-358-6198
or write 1 Elm Street, Westmoreland, NH 03467.
In the 1970s, ERI sponsored research to save the American elm, which
was threatened with extinction by Dutch elm disease. By selecting American
elm parent trees that proved their ability to fend off the beetle-borne
fungus, researchers produced the disease-resistant American Liberty elm,
introduced in 1983.
The new purebred elm, not to be confused with the European and Asian
hybrids, retains the American elm’s classic vase-like shape and grows well
in urban conditions. More than a quarter of a million American Liberty
elms have been planted in over 750 communities, mostly by volunteers.
American Liberty elms are not seed-grown. They are cloned in a complex
process that involves rooting a leaf stem from a stock tree. Each of ERI’s
stock trees is derived from an original American Liberty elm parent tree,
with proven resistance to Dutch elm disease.
“Cloning is the only way to assure that disease resistance is passed
on to the next elm,” says Hansel. “Propagation from seed will not preserve
disease resistance. Whenever a grower advertises any type of elm as disease
resistant, you should ask to see the cloning operation.”
The American Liberty elm is cloned, propagated and distributed only
by ERI. It is available only from Johnny Elmseed Regional Nurseries and
directly from ERI.
For more information about the American Liberty elm, the nursery program,
and other planting programs, contact Elm Research Institute, Elm St., Westmoreland,
N.H., 03467, phone 603-358-6198. Worldwide Web address: http://www.forelms.org.
The following if from: http://www.elmtrees.com/article4.htm
The Great Elm Returns
by Dennis Cauchon
USA TODAY
November 6, 1997
The beloved American elm once arched over the streets of this nation,
forming long, shady cathedrals of nature that defined the look of this
country for two centuries.
The United States has never looked the same, never looked as good,
since a tiny beetle landed in Cleveland in 1930 on a log aboard a ship
from England. The European elm bark beetle brought Dutch elm disease, a
fungus that has killed hundreds of millions of elm trees -- as many as
95% of American elms -- in the greatest ecological accident to strike North
America.
Now, in the most important development ever in the fight against Dutch
elm disease, the U.S. National Arboretum has developed an American elm
tree that possesses an extraordinary genetic ability to withstand the fungus.
When injected with massive amounts of the most deadly strains of the disease,
this remarkable American elm wilts only slightly and then recovers to full
health.
The tree, named the Valley Forge elm, culminates 60 years of government
research, involving three generations of scientists and tests on 60,000
elm trees. The Valley Forge elm has been shipped to 17 wholesale nurseries
and will be available to the public in the year 2000. It will be the first
American elm to be widely planted in 50 years.
These trees may restore the American elm to its historical position
as the nation's pre-eminent tree. "In 2010, the elm tree will once again
be the most popular tree in the country," predicts T. Davis Sydnor, professor
of urban forestry at Ohio State University. "I don't think it can be stopped
because, other than a soft spot for Dutch elm disease, it is the perfect
city tree."
The American elm is known for its craggy bark and stately beauty, a
Y-shaped form that grows 60- to 100- feet high. But the tree's greatness
also springs from its unique ability to survive city life. Better than
any other trees, the American elm withstands smog, drought, floods, heat,
cold, poor soil, vandalism, lawn mowers and de-icing salts.
As testimony to its versatility, the American Elm grows naturally in
North Dakota riverbeds, Louisiana swamps and Maine's thick woods. Yet the
tree is equally well-adapted for life as a landscape tree in Manhattan
or a Kansas City suburb.
American colonists planted elm trees near their homes in the 1600s.
George Washington took control of the Continental Army in 1775 under an
American elm in Cambridge, Mass. Pioneers brought the tree west in covered
wagons as early as 1835. Elms dominated nearly every city and college campus
by 1930. What the maple tree is to Canada, the American elm is to the United
States -- part of the national experience.
The original log infected with Dutch elm disease was put on a train
in Cleveland and shipped to a Cincinnati furniture factory. Soon, elms
along the railroad tracks began dying. Tree experts knew immediately that
disaster had arrived. Dutch elm disease, named after the Dutch researchers
who isolated the fungus, had already killed millions of European elms.
The long war to save the elm
For a half-century, the United States waged a costly war against Dutch
elm disease, involving hundreds of researchers, most major chemical companies
and city foresters across the country. The fungus won.
"The war against Dutch elm disease turned out to be like the war against
cancer: far more difficult and complex than we realized in our youthful
optimism," says Gene Smalley, 71, a leading elm researcher at the University
of Wisconsin.
The fight seemingly lost, Dutch elm disease research has dwindled to
almost nothing today, just a handful of middle-aged researchers who wouldn't
give up.
One of the stragglers is Denny Townsend, a mild-mannered tree geneticist
at the National Arboretum's research farm in Glenn Dale, Md. He drives
a 1985 Oldsmobile Delta 88 with 107,000 miles on it; it replaced a Chevy
Caprice with 199,000 miles. Tree people don't like change. "We're patient
sorts," he says.
Townsend, 55, discovered the Valley Forge elm through an unusual combination
of rigorous science and pure luck.
The seed that became the Valley Forge elm was one of thousands of elm
seeds collected by researchers around 1960. It isn't known what tree the
seed came from or whether the tree still lives.
Townsend estimates that only 1 in every 100,000 American elm trees
possesses any anti-Dutch elm disease qualities. He has spent his career
looking for that longshot.
Townsend concentrates on elm trees that have survived outbreaks of
Dutch elm disease. These survivors are often the only trees left standing
in forests or parks where hundreds of elms once grew. It was hoped that
these survivors possessed some special genetic quality that made them immune
or at least tolerant of the disease.
But hundreds of survivors turned out to have no special resistance.``It
turned out most of the trees were just lucky,'' Townsend says.
In 1988, Townsend decided to run one more series of tests. He choose
ten different types of American elms and grew 28 trees of each variety,
using seeds researchers had collected over many years. In 1992, when the
trees were 6- to 13-feet tall, Townsend injected each tree with one million
spores of the most aggressive strains of Dutch elm disease, a far more
lethal dose than the 10 to 100 spores that trees get in nature. A year
later, Townsend had a large patch of dying trees.
But one type of tree behaved differently. It barely wilted. Even more
amazing, a year later, it was healthier than before. Two years later, it
had no trace of the Dutch elm disease.
Townsend had done arboriculture's equivalent of striking gold. He'd
found a classic American elm that, for reasons unknown, survives the most
vicious cases of Dutch elm disease.
Townsend renamed American Elm No. 3 as the Valley Forge elm, in honor
of George Washington's troops who overcame almost insurmountable odds to
survive the winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge, Pa. Townsend shares credit
for discovering the Valley Forge elm with his retired colleague, plant
pathologist Larry Schreiber, and technician Warren Masters.
Valley Forge elm lives to see another day
Recently, Townsend drove his Oldsmobile down a dirt road to visit his
Valley Forge elms at the National Arboretum's research farm. The Valley
Forge elms have grown from 11 feet tall when injected with Dutch elm disease
in 1992 to 19 feet tall. "It's a very good sign that five years later the
trees have come back with no symptoms on new growth," he says.
"This is very important and very well done research," says Richard
Campana, 79, professor emeritus at the University of Maine and a Dutch
elm disease expert. "While nothing is certain, these new elms seem to be
a real breakthrough."
Still, Townsend, who has graduate degrees from Yale and Michigan State,
advises caution: "I hope people don't go out and start planting the whole
town with Valley Forges. They'd open themselves up to disaster. Diversity
is the key."
Tree experts now say that no single species -- such as pin oak, Norway
maple or American elm -- should account for more than 10% of a city's trees.
Planting too many trees with similar genes leaves a city vulnerable to
one disease. Cities should limit elm-lined streets to two or three blocks
in a row.
To encourage diversity, the National Arboretum released another elm
tree along with the Valley Forge: the New Harmony elm. It showed about
one-fifth the disease tolerance of Valley Forge, when measured by the percentage
of dead branches. It will be available in 2000, too.
Another tree, the Princeton elm, also showed disease tolerance similar
to the New Harmony elm. Princeton Nurseries of Allentown, N.J., had stopped
selling the tree in 1935 because of Dutch elm disease. Recently, though,
Princeton Nurseries began selling a few hundred a year to retail nurseries.
Although not as tough as the Valley Forge elm, the New Harmony and
Princeton elms have good survival chances because nature's test is less
demanding than Townsend's scientific one.
The disease-tolerant elms may make it possible to crack the genetic
code of Dutch elm disease, knowledge that would allow the creation of many
varieties of disease-tolerant elms.
"The only thing we know for sure is that all the old theories were
wrong," says Joseph Kamalay, 47, a molecular biologist at the U.S. Forest
Service. "I'm optimistic that the Valley Forge and New Harmony have something
important to tell us about how to save the American elm."
In a government lab in Ohio, Kamalay and biochemist Steve Eshita are
examining how the Valley Forge and New Harmony elms fight Dutch elm disease.
Promising new evidence indicates at least two defense mechanisms are at
work.
The trees stop the Dutch elm disease fungus from germinating, the first
of many stages in its complicated life cycle. The cells of disease-tolerant
trees go dormant after a Dutch elm disease attack but then snap out of
it. The cells of doomed elms remain forever dormant.
Townsend is preparing for what will probably be the final Dutch elm
disease experiment of his career. He has mated the Valley Forge elm with
five other American elms in hopes of creating an even tougher American
elm.
In soybean or tomato research, several generations are bred every year
to speed genetic selection. But each tree experiment takes seven to 10
years. No growth hormones, fertilizers, insecticides or fungicides are
used.
"It's like breeding race horses -- only slower," Townsend says. "Breeding
and selection is the way to go. It just requires patience."
Elm has Deep Roots in Nation's Landscape
By Dennis Cauchon
USA TODAY
November 6, 1997
The American elm holds a place in the heart of many Americans that
young people may not understand. Older Americans sometimes wept when century-old
elms were reduced to stumps because of Dutch elm disease.
The American elm wasn't just a tree; it was often the tree, accounting
for 80% of trees in many cities.
Milwaukee was typical. In the 1950s, the city had 200,000 elms along
its streets and another 100,000 on private property. The city had replicated
the same beautifully shaped elm tree, the Moline elm, and lined about 6,000
miles of streets.
"We thought it was too cold in Wisconsin for the elm bark beetle to
survive. Well, our beetles wore fur coats," says retired city forester
Bob Skiera.
In 1956, Dutch elm disease was found in 11 trees. The city launched
all-out war to save its trees. It reduced its police and fire budgets to
pay for the fight. It sprayed pesticides from helicopters to kill the elm
bark beetle. It injected 60,000 trees with a toxin to fight the fungus.
It ordered that sick elms be cut down immediately or the city would do
it and bill the owner.
Milwaukee lost its fight.
The Dutch elm epidemic peaked in 1967 when 19,000 trees died. Today,
only 20,000 elms survive.
"I'm an old guy," Skiera says. "I can't get over the loss. Each day
I drive the streets, I see the elms that used to be."
Many universities have spent small fortunes to save their elms.
For generations, Harvard students have graduated outdoors under large
elms in Harvard Yard. Despite a textbook effort at elm preservation, the
number of American Elms in Harvard Yard has fallen from 500 to 250 over
20 years.
Penn State claims to have the largest stand of elms left in the country:
275 trees that line three blocks between the town of State College and
the school's library.
Four employees spend half their time caring for the trees. Student
protesters have perched in sick trees to prevent them from being cut down.
The class of 1996 donated $125,000 to save the elms. Still, about 10 trees
die every year.
Trinity College's school song is 'Neath the Elms (of My Dear Old Trinity).
Until the 1970s, century-old elms formed a T on the Hartford, Conn., campus'
historic "long walk." Now, ash trees line the walk.
"It just isn't the same," says school archivist Peter Knapp.
The following is from http://www.indra.com/danwinter/ChampionTrees/elmchamp.html
Buckley's Big Elm
may give clues to save others
Tree believed to be 300 to 400 years old
by Tom Carr, staff writer
Traverse City Record-Eagle, Oct. 3, 1997, pg. 1
BUCKLEY, MICHIGAN -- George Svec may have the answer on his farm to
a devastating disease. The nation's largest known American elm tree stands
on Svec's farm, giving shade between two cornfields. It has apparently
escaped the ravages of Dutch elm disease and may hold clues to saving other
trees from the fatal illness.
Svec's elm is getting a lot of attention now, but it stood in relative
obscurity for centuries, allowing its thick trunk and several strong branches
to grow up to 112 feet in height and support a crown 115 feet across. In
fact, the tree is believed to be 300 to 400 years old, meaning it may have
taken root before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.
People have commented on the tree's size every now and then, Svec said,
but he never suspected it of being a record-breaker.
"It was a nice tree, but I never thought about it," he said.
Evelyn Sika thought about it, though. Sika, a Copemish resident and
tree enthusiast, knew about the tree because she and her husband buy grain
from Svec. She had been asking David Milarch to take a look at the tree
and see if it's a record. Milarch, also of Copemish, owns a nursery and
is founder of the Michigan Champion Tree Project. The project, based in
Traverse City, helps identify the largest trees in Michigan of different
species.
David Milarch
February 1, 1997
For weeks, she persisted while Milarch resisted.
"I finally caved in and went to look at it," Milarch said. "I thought
the chances of a state -- let alone a national -- champion was practically
nil. But when I saw it, I almost fainted," he said. "I thought it can't
be, but it is. Especially such an endangered tree. This is big news because
it's an American elm, and it's one hell of a big tree."
Elm trees were the country's favorite shade tree up to 50 years ago
because they were easy to grow and it spread its limbs out in a canopy.
But in the 1950s and '60s, Dutch elm disease basically denuded thousands
of streets east of the Mississippi River of their cathedral ceiling-like
coverage.
After Milarch saw the tree, he contacted Elwood Ehrle, the Big Tree
coordinator for Michigan and a biology professor at Western Michigan University.
Ehrle used a scoring system based on its height, the girth of its trunk
and the width of its crown. The tree scored 423 points.
There are no other contenders for the prize, and the 1998 champions
will be decided within a month, said Deborah Gangloff, executive director
of American Forests.
National Champion American Elm
Buckley, Michigan
December 1997
The former champion American elm was in Louisville, Kan., and had a
score of 435 points. That tree, however, was cut down in points by lightning,
and was destroyed by a vandal in March who threw a fire bomb into it, Gangloff
said. Such vandalism is rare, but has happened to at least one other champion
tree, she said.
The tree has also attracted the attention of Douglas Chapman, a horticulturist
and director of Dow Gardens in Midland. Chapman has already taken cuttings
of the tree and has gotten some of them to take root. He also passed some
of them on to a researcher who will introduce the cuttings to Dutch elm
disease to see if it really is resistant to the strain. Chapman said the
tree must have some resistance, because he believes it has to have been
exposed to the disease at least once.
Yet, even if the tree is capable of being some sort of Adam of the
elms and repopulating the landscape with its progeny, Chapman hopes it's
not to the same levels as before. One of the reasons the elm was so devastated
before was that people planted too many of them, he said. That allowed
the killing fungus to be easily spread from tree to tree by the beetles
that carried it.
For that reason, no one species should ever constitute more than 15
percent of the population on the streets, he said. Elm trees comprised
up to 70 percent in their heyday.
Dutch elm disease is not the only thing Svec's tree survived. It also
survived the clearing of the land for farms. Svec said it probably wasn't
cut down because the land was cleared long before chainsaws were around,
and its multiple trunks would have been too much for crosscut saws powered
by human muscle.
"It wasn't in anybody's way, so why fight it?" he said. Svec is fond
of the tree, but he doesn't say much about the honor and the attention.
He takes it all in stride as he goes about his business of farming.
"I'm not really into all this stuff," he said. "But as long as I'm
around, they won't cut it down."
The following is from:
http://www.arrowk.com/trees/e001.htm
The American Elm is another beautiful, important species that has fallen
victim to a fungal blight called Dutch elm disease, which was first discovered
in 1930 and has since killed hundreds of thousands of trees. The American
elm once ranged from southern Canada to Florida, growing as high as 130
feet in good soil, with its characteristic fountain-like crown that at
one time formed gothic arches over city streets. Efforts are being made
to develop disease-resistant strains, but it will be many years before
the elm will reestablish itself. A useful tree for its lumber and its seeds,
which are important to birds and small mammals, the American elm is perhaps
best known for its historical role as a symbol of public life in America.
Indians used it as a council tree, and many treaties with the early settlers
were made beneath its branches. It was once an important shade tree for
village greens and courthouses, where now the depressing appearance of
dying trees or the stumps of cut trees is a more common sight. The slippery
elm (Ulmus rubra) can often be found growing in association with the American
elm; it is not as valuable for its lumber nor are its seeds as important
to wildlife, but it is a handsome tree, occasionally reaching one hundred
feet in height and having a spreading crown rather than the tall profile
of the American elm.
http://www.arrowk.com
The following is from http://www.exnet.iastate.edu/Pages/tree/amer-elm.html
American Elm - Ulmus americana
Leaves are alternate, simple, double-toothed with unequal leaf bases.
The American elm has a spreading, vase-shaped crown, and often reaches
a diameter of 3 to 4 feet and a height of 90 to 100 feet. It is found throughout
the state on moist slopes, bottomlands and along streams. It has been planted
widely as a shade and ornamental tree.
The leaves are oval, sharp pointed with double-toothed margins and have
prominent midrib and lateral veins. Leaves are 4 to 6 inches long, dark
green above, and light green beneath.
The oval shaped-fruit is winged, with the seed in the center of the
wing. The fruit appears on the tree in clusters.
Twigs are reddish brown and tend to droop. The bark will always identify the American elm. It is light to dark gray, irregularly ridged and deep furrowed. If a piece of the bark is removed from the tree and broken crossways, it will be found to be built up in alternate brown and creamy white layers.
Contact: Paul Wray
Last Update: January 30, 1998
The following is from: http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/ODNR/Education/ohiotrees/elmamerican.htm
Ulmus americana: American Elm
Fruit
Larger image American elm, sometimes called white elm, is not only
the largest species of elm in this country, but also our most beautiful
shade tree. The drooping crown on older trees gives them an elegant, vase-shaped
appearance. This elm occurs commonly throughout Ohio, preferring moist,
rich soils, particularly along the borders of streams and in bottomlands.
Unfortunately, American elm is fast disappearing from the American
scene as a result of the Dutch elm disease, accidentally introduced from
Europe some years ago. This is a fungus disease which clogs the water-carrying
vessels of the tree. The disease is transmitted by the elm bark beetle.
Perhaps the American elm is destined to a fate similar to that of the American
chestnut.
The Iroquois Indians are said to have used the bark for making canoes,
rope, utensils, and roofing for their homes. The tough, cross-grained wood
is highly resistant to splitting and is used in making baskets, furniture,
and flooring.
The following is from
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/commontr/amerelm.htm
Forestry
American Elm
(Ulmus americana L.)
LEAVES: Alternate, simple, 4"-6" long, unequal at the base, rather rough
on the upper surface; usually soft-hairy below; veins prominent; margin
coarsely toothed. Petiole short.
TWIGS: Slender, zigzag, brown, or slightly hairy. Leaf buds 1/8"- 1/4"
long, flattened. Flower buds larger, below leaf buds. Bud scales red-brown,
smooth or downy; margins dark.
FRUIT: A seed surrounded by an oval, thin papery wing, 1/2" long, deeply
notched at the tip; ripening in spring and borne in clusters; wing with
scattered hairs along margin. Flowers and fruit appear before the leaves,
as is true of Slippery elm.
BARK: Dark gray to gray-brown with long corky ridges; separated by
diamond-shaped fissures on older trees.
GENERAL: A large and highly prized shade tree. The drooping crown often
gives it a vase-shaped appearance. Found locally throughout Pennsylvania,
mainly on moist areas. The hard, tough wood has many uses, including the
manufacture of boxes, barrels and furniture.
The following is from http://www.gypsymoth.ento.vt.edu/~ravlin/Treeimages/elm_amer.html
American Elm, Ulmus americana
elm_amer_leaves.jpegelm_amer_leaves.jpeg
Habitat: Bottomlands, slightly moist ground.
Characteristics: Trees may attain a height of 80 feet and taller; the
diameter ranges from 1-2 feet. The buds are slightly more than 1/4" long
and the leaves are from 4 to 7 inches long. American elm flowers between
March and May. A popular shade / ornamental tree at one time, now is seldom
found in urban landscapes because of Dutch elm disease (Ceratocystis ulmi
) which is transmitted by the bark beetles Scolytus multistriatus and Hylurgopinus
rufipes.
The following is from http://users.aol.com/bcarley978/elmpost.htm
I have posted this article to call attention to a special project which
I have been doing locally (in Acton, Massachusetts) for the last few years,
and which I hope will be a source of inspiration for many. Ever since some
new disease-resistant varieties of purely American elm were called to my
attention, I have been hooked on raising these trees for local distribution,
and it did not take me long to conceive of finding a way to have them planted
on various conservation lands, where they will always be safe from indifferent
landowners. I soon became acquainted with this town’s conservation director,
who welcomed my idea wholeheartedly and gave me the necessary permission.
(As most of us realize, our Massachusetts state tree has been reduced
from its former dominance in the landscape to a precarious scarcity as
a result of the accidental introduction in the 1930s of a beetle-borne
fungus known as Dutch elm disease, whose incessant rampage now poses a
serious threat to the continued existence of this majestic tree in our
environment. Anyone interested in researching the history of Dutch elm
disease might want to follow this link for my related article and set of
quality links.)
My original plan called for twenty of these trees to be given to the
town, and I am pleased to inform everyone that you now have your twentieth
tree. A few of my young friends from the resource room in which I used
to volunteer deserve credit for the planting of the particular trees that
now stand dedicated to them. While twenty trees is certainly a milestone
worth celebrating, we should not lose sight of the fact that if we stop
at twenty, only twenty American elms will be left in this community in
fifty years. Pausing this project before the limit of convenience has been
reached strikes me as an unthinkable error which cannot be allowed to happen.
Hopefully, circumstances will allow this project to advance to thirty trees,
if not fifty, or even a hundred, while my endeavors to inspire others will
perhaps result in the planting of thousands more in other towns.
A five-year-old specimen planted at the Acton Arboretum, Acton, MA (Credit:
Gilbert Carley)
Several different varieties are represented in the stock with which
I have been working. “American Liberty” was the first variety I discovered,
and although I believe that this six-clone variety is probably adequate
in its resistance to Dutch elm disease, I am not convinced that its reliability
is better than moderate, and because it is also purported to be patented
(since one of its six clones is covered by U.S. Plant Patent No. 6227),
I have come to regard it with more than a few reservations. I like to propagate
my own trees, and since it seems to me that the true spirit of conservation
requires that large-scale propagation be permissible, I have resolved to
turn my attention more exclusively to two recently introduced clones, “Valley
Forge” and “New Harmony,” neither of which has the misfortune of being
illegal to propagate. (However, since that patent took effect in 1988,
things may change for the better when it expires, probably in 2005.)
Both “Valley Forge” and “New Harmony” are purely American elms (Ulmus
americana) from the northern U.S. which are easy for the amateur gardener
to propagate vegetatively by several different techniques, as described
below. “Valley Forge” is purportedly the most disease-resistant American
elm known and can match even Asian elms in its resistance to Dutch elm
disease, if my understanding is correct, which should make it likely to
survive exposure to this disease throughout its long life span. I am now
propagating this clone easily, and the Acton Arboretum has been given five
examples of it already. “New Harmony” (named after an Indiana town, although
it originated in Ohio) has also demonstrated a high level of resistance
to Dutch elm disease in studies done by the USDA at the U.S. National Arboretum,
and there appears to be a chance that additional disease-resistant varieties
of American elm of will be forthcoming within a few years.
CULTIVATION AND PROPAGATION
Click Here for Cultural Requirements and Propagation Tips
AVAILABILITY
“Valley Forge” and “New Harmony” have only recently been made available
to nurseries and are currently being sold by only two sources, although
additional sources should be forthcoming soon. The first nursery to begin
selling these two varieties was Phytotektor, Inc. (730 Rattlesnake Branch
Circle, Huntland, TN 37345; phone 931-469-7286; fax 931-469-7318); they
are a wholesale nursery which generally requires, I believe, a minimum
of 100 trees per order. However, Greenrange Farm (Sawyer Road, RR1, Box
168, Whiting, VT 05778; phone 802-623-8601; fax 802-623-8603) hopes to
have these two varieties available for retail mail order in late 1999.
Interested individuals can visit the Greenrange Elm Project website at
elmtrees.com, which will include ordering instructions as supplies permit.
“American Liberty” can be obtained through Elm Research Institute, Elm
Street, Westmoreland, NH 03467. In addition, “Princeton,” another disease-resistant,
purely American elm variety, is available wholesale from Princeton Nurseries,
Princeton, NJ 08540 (Phone 1-800-916-1776), and also from Phytotektor (above).
We perhaps would do well to include all of these clones in any large-scale
planting to maximize genetic diversity - and to plant them among a diversity
of species to avoid the monoculture conditions that encouraged the epidemic
before.
All of these elm varieties lately have been generating a commendable
resurgence of public interest in restoring the American elm. However, in
their searches for information about the different varieties, many people
have been discovering controversies in progess between ERI and the USDA
about who has the better varieties, with each party appearing to cast doubt
on the quality of its competitor's products. Perhaps this undue competitiveness
is part of an overly zealous campaign for research funds? Having reviewed
detailed information sent to me by both research teams, I have determined
to my own satisfaction that all of the above-mentioned varieties are sufficiently
DED-resistant to be well worth including in any elm restoration effort,
and for the sake of such noble endeavors, I would urge everyone to take
with a grain of salt any biased reporting on these varieties.
/BCarley978/chestnut.htm
/BCarley978/chestnut.htmBefore concluding, I would like to advise everyone
that we also will have the means to work similarly on the ill-fated American
chestnut within a decade, and you can be sure that my determination to
do so will remain tenacious. The American Chestnut Foundation (Bennington,
VT 05201-4044) is successfully developing highly blight-resistant American
chestnut trees through backcross breeding, and they will be selling us
that long-awaited final product beginning in 2005. I invite everyone to
get the information from TACF (above) and to compensate me for my gifts
to the community by supporting this organization with a membership. Meanwhile,
please click here to visit my article on the American chestnut, an article
which includes more quality photographs taken by my father, as well as
a lot of valuable information on a highly promising effort to restore that
species to the forest canopy. You can also click here for a sharp close-up
picture of those once-common nuts.
/BCarley978/ded.htm
/BCarley978/ded.htmAnother page is provided for those of us who may
not be fully mindful of the magnitude of the disaster which has befallen
the majestic American elm. Please click here to visit that page. It describes
the history of Dutch elm disease and provides links for anyone wishing
to research this subject further.
/BCarley978/native.htm
/BCarley978/native.htmI am also an avid gardener of native New England wildflowers. Please click here to visit my picture-article on conservation gardening.
The Acton Arboretum
One of the more unique features of Acton, Massachusetts is an attractive
and well-maintained public arboretum. Many different kinds of trees are
planted there by the town, and a substantial number of my donated elm trees
have been permanently located there. Anyone interested in visiting that
arboretum can click here for a copy of my home-prepared map of that land.
(Taylor Road is directly off of Route 2 in Acton at the lights.) In years
to come, the exact locations of some of my donated elm trees may be marked
on that map, depending on how well their size insures their safety.
My father, Gilbert Carley, created the photographs which appear at
this website. All such photographs may be distributed freely, resized as
you like, and even republished for clean and wholesome purposes, as long
as due credit is given. A postcard-size version of the first one is also
available, which you may think of as a token of appreciation for your visit,
but please in turn invite other interested individuals to visit this site.
There is also one of a stately American elm towering over a colonial house,
a once common spectacle.