We all know that many of our beloved North American tree species are undergoing stress, and even decline, due to many factors such as climate change and/or invasive species of plants and pests. Fortunately many people are well aware of this problem and many programs have begun to try and save as many stressed tree species as possible. This army of tree lovers include expert arborists and urban foresters and the many town councillors and ordinary residents who seek their advice on how to save our trees. Unfortunately it may be too late to save some tree species but all is not lost and we should inform ourselves on how we can join the army. This page will detail some of the tree species at risk and the measures that can be taken to help them.

The American Elm

The Real Nightmare on Elm Street:

Decades before Freddy Krueger became a pop culture icon, a different kind of nightmare terrorized Elm Streets in North America. 

In the 1920s, a lethal disease known as Dutch elm disease appeared in the United States.  This fungal disease was first detected in the Netherlands and quickly spread to other countries.

Town officials tried to stop the spread of Dutch elm disease by burning trees and spraying DDT.  When these interventions failed, all elms were removed and replaced by other trees.

Since its initial discovery, Dutch elm disease has killed hundreds of millions of elms.  Interestingly, most accounts of this tragedy highlight the loss of elms from cities.  Few accounts mention the impact of Dutch elm disease on wild trees.  

Why is this the case?  Aren’t wild elms affected by Dutch elm disease too?  If they are, how does Dutch elm disease alter the ecology of forests?

An American arborist. Adam Haritan, has a website called Learn Your Land on which he discusses various tree species at risk. You can view his Youtube on the American Elm by clicking on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5sphOng3fo

Elm Recovery Program

This project was started in 1998 by Henry Kock, a horticulturalist at the University of Guelph's Arboretum, in an effort to stop Dutch elm disease by introducing diverse populations of disease-tolerant elms to the Ontario landscape. To read more, https://bit.ly/4hbtOpi.  

 

The Chestnut Tree

The mighty chesnut tree is also under stress. You can view another Adam Haritan Youtube by clicking on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNPxaLmrkU4 

Another chestnut tree Youtube can be found by clicking on:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbrY-J0bpto

Are Oak trees in Trouble?