Is it a bad idea to plant an Elm tree?

by Jesse Sloetjes

So you want to plant an Elm tree. A large, beautiful and stately tree with lots of character. Maybe you've seen pictures of neighborhood streets covered with elm trees that reach over top and create an enchanted feel (and no, not the horror movie Nightmare on Elm street):

 

 

Some elm trees such as the Patriot elm trees or American Elm Trees turn a beautiful pale shade of yellow in the fall 

 

 

Whatever you've heard about elm trees, though, you have most certainly heard of the Elm tree killer : Dutch Elm Disease (DED)

Dutch Elm disease was a fungi that was carried to North American by the Dutch Elm Beetle in the early 1900's. The fungi would hitchhike on the beetle, and when the beetle would eat the bark of an elm tree, the fungi would attack the tree and basically cut off the circulation in the tree, causing branches to die off, and eventually causing the death of the tree. In the 19th century, the DED killed off 97% off all elm trees in France, killed millions of elm trees in North America and decimated most all of the elm trees in Canada, leaving only pockets of elm trees unaffected. Efforts were made by scientists and arborists to save elm trees by injecting them with something similar to a vaccine that prevented the fungi from attacking the tree. There were various other methods such as spraying the elm trees with DDT or other harsh chemicals that caused biological damage to the wildlife around the trees. But all in all, the damage had been done, and the once large and powerful elm tree population had been cut down by up to 85%.

Fast forward to the 2000's, (2022) where tree farms, nurseries, and growers have begun to grow elm trees that are resistant to the DED, and the once ever poplar (just kidding, ever popular) elm tree is making a comebark (just kidding, comeback)

 

Here are some of the DED resistant strains of elm tree that are available for purchase today

  • Homestead Elm
  • Triumph Elm
  • Prospector Elm
  • Patriot Elm
  • Princeton Elm
  • Valley Forge Elm

These new strains of elm trees are 100% resistant to the DED and as a result can make a unique addition to your landscape. If you have an elm tree that you think is suffering from DED, give Niagara Tree Company a call and we can help you treat it or remove it.

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