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Elms trees (alive that is)

J

JDemaris

Well-known Member
Been some discussion about trees and diseases here recently. I know some people think elm trees are all gone from Dutch Elm disease, and they are not. No new trees have been planted here going back to at least 1930. Some have naturally reseeded themselves.

I've got 30-40 elm trees here (Otsego County, NY) and some more up north and west (Adirondacks and Tug Hill).

Here are a few photos from last summer and late fall. Those with no leaves are healthy - just late in the year. I can't take any good photos now since no leaves are out yet. And the photos I DO have aren't great since none were taken to show the elm trees. They just happen to be in a few photos.

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We get them here growing all the time too,but they get to about 10-12 inches diameter and die. I talked to a forester about it and he said,yea,just about the time you think one is finally going to make it,it dies.
 
Sounds about right, but we've got a few that are bigger. I cut down last year that died and it was approx. 75 years old - going by the ring count.
 
I have been told that they don't get the blight unless they are within a certain distance, I think maybe it was 500 feet or something, of another elm, so isolated elms can live a long time. We have a nice big one that is just starting to die as of last year but it has gotten up to 18 inches or so. The wood is very pretty sawn into lumber, and I have some customers who come for it because it is hard to find commercially. We have standing dead elms on the farm here in Oswego County that have lost all of their bark but are still sound and make good lumber.
Zach
 
Really swell pictures . Up here in wis ,several years ago there was what the D.N.R called an outbreak of dutch elm desease. Took a lot of em . Didn"t want folks to burn the wood as they claimed it would spread the desease.I cut a lot of em for fire wood any way. Still have a couple around the old homestead, what looks like they are in good condition.What I found when cutting em down was a LOT of WOODPECKER HOLES in em. By the way.THE DRYER SANG IT"S SWAN SONG. Was a thermodisc .Dryer is 15 years old. Time for a new one. Son & Daughter are bring a new one home today. Shame I cant burn it for fire wood. lol.
LOU
 
We used to have quite a few on the farm, but most of them died off in the early 60"s--just before my time. Have one by our barn bridge that is still going strong, however.
 
I have an Elm or as the old timers say Elum. Its pretty big,never measured it but I cant reach around it. We have a lot of Elm here but mostly smaller,Got a lot of dead Elm to,makes super firewood,hard to split is all.
 
When I was a kid, there was a Chinese elm in the front yard of our house, and one in the front yard of my grand-Dad's house. Neither provided very good shade, and they seemed to constantly be dropping limbs. If ALL elm trees are like those were, I say bring on the blight, and good riddance to bad rubbish.
 
The Dutch Elm disease went through this part of the country in the mid to late 70s. Pretty much wiped them out. I had a few Elm saplings around up at the lake and kind of took care of them - cut other trees away from them etc. There were about half a dozen in the yard there about 12" and one that was about 16" that I had my camper parked under. But then about 2 years ago the disease came back and I lost one and then another. Then last year they all died. I'm pretty disapointed by it. There's a few saplings left so I guess I'll have to start over.
I'm old enough now to realize how quickly trees grow.
 
I have a bunch of elm stumps in the yard :( Must have been real impressive back in the day judging from how big around some of those stumps are.
 
I believe the tree to the right is a american elm. In the summer it sucks water out of the cesspool right next to it. In the winter the roots clog up the cesspool and i have to go out and start the siphon and drain it out into another hole once in a while, but i dont have it in me to cut it down.
a13708.jpg
 
D.E. hit here in the mid/late '70's also. My Grandma spent a lot trying to save them.The whole yard used to be full of them, but most died. Some made it, due to or in spite of the stuff that was pumped into them. Don't have any pics taht I know of, but there's a big one north of the house taht I'll have to take a pic of with Luke standing next to it to show it's size. Still healthy. One in my Dad's west field that I still work around too. I think it's all that's left of an old farmyard.
 
Just about all my elms are dead on my wooded parcel of land. I have cut down at least 50 elms in the last 8-10 years.

All down my road were elm trees along with some other trees, all the elms are dead.
 
D.E. has been going through here too the past 3-4 years.
It hasn't been one massive kill of every elm tree as what occurred in the late 60's/early 70's.
Some elms here appear to be immune or semi immune to the D.E. disease.
We keep the dead/dying trees cut and hauled out for firewood. That maybe of some benefit to the remaining trees? Oldest fresh dead trees here are approx 35-40yrs.
A majority of the trees here are the tall lean flute glass shaped elms. Farther south in the Exeter area. The elms tend to be the broad canopy style. There is one massive healthy brute that reaches from the fence line on one side of hwy#4. With branches overhanging the shoulder and ditch of the road on the opposite side. I’m surprised the mto hasn’t cut it down long ago.
Nice looking peice of paradice there jdemaris.
 
We lost quite a few elm, there were very many around southern MN including our grove. Big die-off in the 80s, and was a little one some time back.

Still have a few handful of elm left tho, like you said.

Feel bad for those in town who took down allt heir elm, dead or alive, and planted ash. They are a bout mature now, and sounds like the ash borer is a 100 miles away & getting closer....

The only thing people will plant any more is maple. Gonna be bad when they catch something.

--->Paul
 
Most of the remaining elms around Thunder Bay are slowly dying off. One tiny house on a boulevard has an elm that seems to be doing very well, with no problems at all. The city had some major construction near it a few years ago. The tree's assessed value was $50k! The city took extra measures to insure they didn't harm the root system.

Jay
 
There all but gone here in CT, a few still remain. Back when i was going for my under grad in forestry we planted a few American Elms crossed with Siberian Elms, they ended up growing very slow and have poor structure. They grow all over the place and do not have the nice vase shape American Elms are known for. There are a few things you can do to help protect the your Elms if you dont want to loose them but its hard to say the least. To bad there really a great tree and very important to swamp and mash ecosystems.

Andrew
 
Why is that? In Michigan we are losing Ash trees and you cant haul them.Its against the law to haul any firewood to a campground unless you buy it localy. I have 4 good sized Ash in the yard but am afraid I will lose them someday,but Elm can be cut and burned
 
Dutch elm disease doesn't seem to be phasing them here in SE MN either. Sure, they all die young, but they set seeds young and grow fast so they're doing alright. Big elm trees are a thing of the past though. Most die before they reach 12" diameter.

What are almost all gone are Butternut trees. They have a rust disease has almost completely wiped them out. It's too bad too, because I love eating butternuts and they have some of the prettiest wood of any hardwood.
 
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