For those of you that haven’t been by Abernethy Elementary lately, we are losing several more elm trees around the playground (on Elliott and Birch) – 6 more (“more” because we lost several last year too). They are being removed because they have Dutch Elm disease. There is another Dutch Elm hotspot in Ladd’s at Ladd & Lavender – another 6 are being removed there, and another 2 on Hemlock.
Below, for those who are interested, is some information about our elm trees:
These trees are about 100 years old and are young relative to their lifespan – American Elms reach maturity at about 150 years, and live to about 300 years. Here’s a link with more info about American Elms if you’re interested:
http://www3.northern.edu/natsource/TREESA1/Americ2.htm
Dutch Elm disease is very aggressive and has devestated many parts of the country by killing entire stands of elm trees (approx 77 million trees in the US). A lot of you know about this, but for those who don’t, we have an innoculation program – the neighborhood organization, Save Our Elms, has been innoculating the elms in Ladd’s for 15 years -about 1/3 of the trees are innoculated each year, so that all trees get innoculated once every 3 years. The fungicide that is injected is not a cure or total prevention – it basically slows the progression of the disease.
Other than the innoculations, the other things that help the trees are pruning (when dormant and with a permit) and checking the trees’ leaves for wilting. If you see wilting leaves at the tops/crowns of the trees, you should call the Urban Forestry Division at 503-823-4489.
There is a person with the Urban Forestry Division that serves solely as the Elm Monitor – it’s a seasonal position and the current person is Danielle Fuchs. If you have questions, her number is 503-823-8859.
Another good source of info is the Save Our Elms website www.saveourelms.org