# Dutch Elm Disease



## AllanFyfe (Oct 1, 2007)

Dutch Elm Disease hit the UK around 15 years ago but in the North East of Scotland we have been spared this intrusion as our elms were mainly of the Wych variety. Around three years ago it became apparent that these had succumbed as well and all around us we now have crumbling elms.

There has been very little said in our local press about this and I just wondered how seriously this issue is being taken elsewhere? Is Dutch Elm Disease endemic in other countries? Presumably there are no elms left in Holland?! What about the USA?


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## jeffreythree (Jan 9, 2008)

It is definitely a problem in areas. Only time will tell if it going to spread throughout the whole country. Hopefully it does not make it to my elms here in Texas. I have some big cedar and slippery elms.


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## Oscar (Jun 7, 2008)

It hammered Iowa and others parts of the mid-west in the 60'-70's.


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## joasis (Sep 15, 2006)

It seemed to abate around here a few years ago....and for awhile, it looked like it would kill off a lot of the elm trees....but now, they look healthy...so who really knows?


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

AFAIK, we lost so many elms ~ 40 years ago that they essentially stopped logging them in the US, thus no new elm for furniture. More recently they're on the verge of making a come back. Chestnut had a similar fate, and now Ash is threatened by the emerald ash borer.


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## dirtclod (May 7, 2008)

There's still some large elms around here. But there's not nearly as many as there used to be. 

There's a good article on Wiki about the spread of DED: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_elm_disease

I found this tucked away at the bottom of the article:



> From analysis of pollen in peat samples, it is apparent the elm all but disappeared from Europe during the mid-Holocene period about 6000 years ago. Examination of sub-fossil elm wood has suggested that Dutch elm disease may have been responsible [13].


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

I wasn't aware of how extensive it is and was. We have loads of elms here. Big 'uns too.


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## AllanFyfe (Oct 1, 2007)

Many thanks to everyone for their posts about this - the feedback is useful and interesting.


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## clarionflyer (Apr 27, 2008)

Just lost a "beaut" here. Alive and perfect last year... half-way through the summer it just up and died. The pro's around this area (Ohio) confirmed it was the dreaded disease.


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

No elms here, but I wasn't pleased to hear about the borers with a taste for Ash trees. I have a 15 year old Texas Ash (at least that is what they called it) that I got when I took my Christmas tree in to be turned into mulch the first year I lived here...It grew very slow until 2002, when I finally took it out of the 5 gallon bucket and stuck it in the ground...


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## Daveb (May 3, 2007)

In St. Paul, MN, I lost one elm 6 years ago, one last year and the third just started to show yellow leaves this August. Doesn't look good. All three were huge. Sad


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## Boardman (Sep 9, 2007)

In the 60's I lived in Detroitand many, many residential streets had complete canopies of huge elms. By the 70's they were gone. Here in St. Paul the ywent thru the same thing. There are scattered elms in my neighborhood that survived the initial onslaught, but they are slowly succumbing. They mark and number the trees for removal and within a few square miles the numbers were in the 40's.
The city removes them and, I believe, burns them. However the lumber is still god as long as the bark is removed first.


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## Roy Harding (Jun 8, 2008)

It's endemic in Canada, too. I'm not sure how far west it has progressed, but I know that Saskatchewan and Alberta (two of the western provinces) are taking active measures to counteract it. I don't know how that's working out for them.

Here in British Columbia (the westernmost province), we've got our hands full with the Pine Beetle infestation - haven't heard of Dutch Elm Disease making it to this side of the Rocky Mountains, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that it's here.


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## Kirk Allen (Nov 7, 2006)

I hope your pine beetle infestation is different than the spruce bark beetle that defistated the Alaskan Landscape. It has wiped out millions of trees and nothing seems to be able to stop it.


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## Roy Harding (Jun 8, 2008)

Kirk Allen said:


> I hope your pine beetle infestation is different than the spruce bark beetle that defistated the Alaskan Landscape. It has wiped out millions of trees and nothing seems to be able to stop it.


I've heard of spruce bark beetle, but I don't think it has hit here yet (I may be wrong). I didn't realize how big a problem it is until your post and I did a little (very little) research.

Alaska is right next door to me - let's make a deal - you do your best to keep your spruce bark beetles at home, and we'll do our best to keep our pine beetles at home. 

Best of luck to both of us :smile:


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## Kirk Allen (Nov 7, 2006)

They devistated the Kenai Peninsula. There used to be Giant Spruce trees in the 30+ DBH and now nothing. They still have quite a few in the Seward area but dont know how long that will last as the beatle has hit just about every other part of the Anchorage basin area.


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## Julian the woodnut (Nov 5, 2008)

There was an 80' tall healthy red elm get struck by lightning in my neighbors yard this spring. The tree removal service cut it down about a month ago, so I nabbed the clear part of the trunk, and got about 250 board feet out of it. It has quite an interesting color to it. It's a shame most of them died years ago due to dutch elm disease.


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## clarionflyer (Apr 27, 2008)

Elm is still my favorite for flooring. Looks like oak... but has a lot more... pizazz!


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