Comments on: One of the Remaining Elm Trees on Decatur Square Needs to Be Taken Down

By: Lorraine

Lorraine — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 02:09:56 +0000

Good idea!

By: Shc

Shc — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 23:41:43 +0000

So sad

By: Allison

Allison — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 16:18:40 +0000

Barbara Kingsolver has a wonderful novel that weaves in a story about chestnut blight and efforts to bring back the American chestnut. It’s called Prodigal Summer. One of my favorites! Also a story line about coyotes, too.

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 15:31:05 +0000

Can any part of it be incorporated into one of Alma’s benches?

By: smalltowngal

smalltowngal — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 14:01:04 +0000

Dutch elm disease is definitely still around. it’s a fungus that attacks and clogs the vascular system. Elm beetles carry it back and forth, and trees growing close together can pass it back and forth via their roots becoming entangled. There are injections, but they are expensive and have to be repeated at intervals, while other vectors are controlled at the same time. Some varieties of elm are more resistant than others, but being too selective about planting undermines diversity in teh natural stock.

You may be thinking of chestnut blight. I think they’ve been working to develop resistant hybrids, and so bring back the American chestnut. (I’m no arborist, just a compulsive googler with the uncontrolled and undirected ability to remember random bits while forgetting why I drove to the store.)