Anyway to dodge elm disease?

[bella wood]

I know of 15-20 trees growing in a wood approx 12-18 inch diamater and probs 40-50 foot high ,, There well spaced out (planted )and all have a similar bark and leaves ,, ive always wanted to find out what variety they are ,, i paid for them a few years ago and im waiting for them to die before they get felled ,,

[Agi-Smash]

Alec,

Many thanks for your input. You do seem to be a wealth of information on this. If some of the spanish hybrids to become available in the uk, where would be the best place to look for them. I may just bide my time for a bit then. I am in no rush. I may try and find another near home to borrow a bit from until a more commercial approach appears.

[agg221]

I know of 15-20 trees growing in a wood approx 12-18 inch diamater and probs 40-50 foot high ,, There well spaced out (planted )and all have a similar bark and leaves ,, ive always wanted to find out what variety they are ,, i paid for them a few years ago and im waiting for them to die before they get felled ,,

 

If you can put up pictures of the bark, leaves and base of the trunk it might be possible to work out which one it is, although I would guess Wych Elm from your location and its survival (and the fact that they are in a wood).

 

Notably the Spanish selections are pure U.minor, so far as the team are aware (I asked the leader of the project if they were hybrid and he says that morphologically, no they are not). I would imagine Arbtalk will know as soon as anywhere else once they become available.

 

Alec

[se7enthdevil]

Alec,

Many thanks for your input. You do seem to be a wealth of information on this. If some of the spanish hybrids to become available in the uk, where would be the best place to look for them. I may just bide my time for a bit then. I am in no rush. I may try and find another near home to borrow a bit from until a more commercial approach appears.

 

 

 

agi-smash, would you want seeds from this tree near me???

[JimM]

We recently took down dead Elm from a property in Inverurie. There were 19 Elms (mixed with a couple of Beech). They run on a north/south line along about 150yards. We took 5 skeletons down, by that I mean absent of bark to nearly ground level. Biggest was 4ft dbh.

Of the rest, 3 presently show decline, but the rest are apparently fine, and all are around the 50/60 foot height, 24 to 36"dbh. I was surprised at how there was such a range of health within one group.

[Alycidon]

coppice them regularly

 

Anything over 6 feet high gets it and dies, below 6 feet and its fine. So an Elm hedge is OK if kept trimmed but Elm trees are not unless resistant.

 

A

[ben_inthewoods]

Climate is probably the only long term brake on the spread of DED in Wych elm with the risk of firewood movement risking spread. With Scolytus not very willing to fly (7km) unless it is >24°C there are areas of Aberdeen shire and other refuges in the west coast may retain populations. Certainly live elms in sunny moray are becoming rarer.

[woodyguy]

The problem with planting the named varieties with supposed resistance, is that they're very pricey and you wont know if you've wasted your money for many years. Personally in your situation, I'd buy a packet of Chinese elm seed and grow from seed. Lovely tree, very resistant and cheap as chips.

[agg221]

The problem with planting the named varieties with supposed resistance, is that they're very pricey and you wont know if you've wasted your money for many years. Personally in your situation, I'd buy a packet of Chinese elm seed and grow from seed. Lovely tree, very resistant and cheap as chips.

 

I think it is important to draw the distinction between 'supposed resistance' and 'tested resistance'.

 

If you look at the back to back inoculation studies incorporating known field resistant and known field susceptible strains, you have a reasonable relative scale which, if repeated at different times in different locations gives good confidence in true field resistance.

 

Longer term, larger scale Dutch studies were reported last year and support this data.

 

This is entirely different from 'I found this surviving elm tree so it must be resistant and now I've propagated it and want to charge you hundreds of pounds for it', where the claim of resistance is dubious and unproven at best.

 

Price - new introductions are always expensive. If they take off, price will come down as supply goes up. Once Plant Breeders' Rights expire, price will drop to free market rates. Sapporo Autumn Gold is now under a fiver.

 

The Chinese Elm is indeed a good tree, but it it doesn't have the size and form of the real thing, hence the interest in restoring the landscape:001_smile:

 

Alec

[Agi-Smash]

If there was any way to take part in trials or testing then i would do my best to help. I wont get too upset if they do die. But it would be nice to get one decent large tree that will live a fair while.

All of the mentioned 'foreigners' are interesting but i was aiming for the more traditional, however if this isnt possible then the nearest equivalent would do.

Mr. se7enthdevil, yeah, why not. If you dont mind. I suppose all i need do is chuck them in the ground and hope for the best. I will pm you in a bit, tea has just arrived.

I am outstanded by all the input on this.

Thank you all.

 

 

 

se7enthdevil