Reintroducing Disease Resistant Elms
Fairport Reintroducing Disease Resistant Elms
The native American Elm tree (Ulmus americana) once graced cities and towns across America, creating distinct and massive cathedral-like canopies of shade over our streets. This particular vision of the ‘street tree’ is a sight that would bring back many memories for those who may recall them during the 1950s and 1960s before the American Elm succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease (DED). The fungal disease was first noticed in Europe during the early 20th century and soon spread across the planet, affecting much of the east coast by 1960 and ultimately advancing to the west coast by the mid-1980s.
Today it is difficult to find any survivors of this magnificent elm species in New York towns, but through hybridization and cultivation some disease resistant cultivars are now commercially available. Beginning in 2009, the Fairport Tree Board, working through the Fairport Department of Public Works, began to selectively plant DED resistant elm cultivars. These include the Princeton Elm (Ulmus americana 'Princeton') and a much smaller ornamental elm tree known as the Frontier Elm (Ulmus carpinifolia x parvifolia 'Frontier').
It is hoped that these trial plantings will eventually result in bringing back a unique street scene that many of Fairport’s younger residents have never been able to experience. The newly returned species will be a wonderful addition to the diversity of street trees that contribute to the beauty of Fairport’s public realm.
The native American Elm tree (Ulmus americana) once graced cities and towns across America, creating distinct and massive cathedral-like canopies of shade over our streets. This particular vision of the ‘street tree’ is a sight that would bring back many memories for those who may recall them during the 1950s and 1960s before the American Elm succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease (DED). The fungal disease was first noticed in Europe during the early 20th century and soon spread across the planet, affecting much of the east coast by 1960 and ultimately advancing to the west coast by the mid-1980s.
Today it is difficult to find any survivors of this magnificent elm species in New York towns, but through hybridization and cultivation some disease resistant cultivars are now commercially available. Beginning in 2009, the Fairport Tree Board, working through the Fairport Department of Public Works, began to selectively plant DED resistant elm cultivars. These include the Princeton Elm (Ulmus americana 'Princeton') and a much smaller ornamental elm tree known as the Frontier Elm (Ulmus carpinifolia x parvifolia 'Frontier').
It is hoped that these trial plantings will eventually result in bringing back a unique street scene that many of Fairport’s younger residents have never been able to experience. The newly returned species will be a wonderful addition to the diversity of street trees that contribute to the beauty of Fairport’s public realm.
