Tree of the Week

The tree for this week has a somewhat darker reputation not for anything the tree does, but for the damage caused to the tree by an imported fungus.  American Elm--Ulnus americana is a stately tree that can grow to a height of eighty feet and a spread of over fifty feet.  This tree has a very distinct upright vase shape to its crown and typically branches higher up the trunk.  The vase shape in combination with higher branching makes this tree ideal for a street tree.  High arching branches don't interfere with traffic and an arching canopy shade the streets from sunlight and helps absorb rain water before it hits the street.  In terms of landscape aesthetics, American elms have a gorgeous yellow/golden fall foliage and they are best used as shade trees.  American elms without DED infection can live to be 100 years old.  Even though this tree is susceptible to Dutch Elm disease, we need to keep planting the more resistant cultivars (Princeton, Valley Forge, American Liberty, and Lewis and Clark) in order to increase the probability for further resistance development.  If you have a mature elm growing in your landscape, careful management practices and some preventative medicine can reduce the likelihood of a DED  infection.  If you need assistance adding elms to your landscape or managing your existing elms please contact us for a free consult.

American elm in summer

American elm in winter