How many mature Elm trees left?

time lord

Are there many mature Elm trees left in Éire?

Birdnuts

Very few - I know of only 2 within 5 miles of Blessington:(.

The West of Ireland appears to have slightly more since it was upwind and slightly isolated from the major outbreak of DED in the UK

99nsr125

time lord wrote: »

Are there many mature Elm trees left in Éire?

American / Princeton Elm is apparently very almost totally
immune.

Min

A fair few on the Castlecomer plateau.

blue5000

No mature ones round here that I know of, but have a few young ones that seem to be surviving until they get to about 20ft.

The_Conductor

This thread drove me to looking up the pictures of the progress of DED in Teagasc's old headquarters on Sandymount Avenue- brings me back to my days studying forestry in UCD......

I know of absolutely no mature European White Elm left in the country, full stop.

There is a Europe wide project underway for the past 4-5 years, trying to get new cultivars of elm out into the wider community, with grants available for councils who are willing to plant them. They've developed over 300 cultivars many of which have very good immunity to DED, however public uptake of these is very limited (only 3 cultivars are on the import list for Ireland, and 4 for the UK).

A lot of people's unwillingness to accept the new cultivars is to do with the supposedly immune cultivars that were pushed in the 60s and 70s- which when push came to shove proved to be very susceptible to the mutated DED.

The Yanks have had a programme to try to get new resistant cultivars out there too- its separate to the European programme however.

If you want to find mature elms in Europe- you really have to go to Germany- even Holland aren't using elm civically again.

Oldtree

There were some lovely old elms as you come into Brighton (on the left). Can only hope that they are still there. The reason for their survival at the time was the surrounding topography, ie. the beatles that spread the disease were thought to be unable to get over the hills surrounding Brighton.

I have found a few elms in mayo growing as shrubs and collected one runner that looked good and planted it in my garden surrounded by other trees in the hope that the beetle wont get to it. 10 years and counting. I'm afraid even to prune it lest the beetle smell it.

It is my understanding that problems have arisen with the cultivars in that the beetle likes a more mature tree!

junospider

None on the castlecomer plateau.I think you are looking at lime trees

The_Conductor

Oldtree wrote: »

It is my understanding that problems have arisen with the cultivars in that the beetle likes a more mature tree!

I'm not sure. I do know that a considerable number of the cultivars (we had over 300) which were considered tolerant of DED, subsequently proved intolerant- and a lot of the mature trees that died back in the late 80s, were planted here in the 20s and 30s........ DED mutated significantly in the 80s- that strain was over 3 times more virulent thank some of the earlier strains, and then again about a decade ago (to a weaker strain again). The big issue now is no-one will plant Elm, good-bad-or indifferent......

Oldtree

What I meant by mature was that I read where the collections of elms were being kept at a height below 1.5m (i think) as the beetle usually flies at above that height. I'm not sure that any elms are immune. So that seems to leave topography and surrounding with other trees to put the beetle off the scent

I think there may be some merit in collecting sports of surviving (bush) elms, as I have done for prosterity I think its a sport rather than a seedling, as they may have some immunity or some other protection mechanism to allow a bit of the tree to survive, but as to the future I don't think we will see mature elms again.

This guy seems to be claiming success:

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/elm-trees-resistant-to-killer-fungus-may-help-save-species-2211032.html

The_Conductor

What I was thinking though- is if they are able to get cultivars to maturity in Germany- but for some strange reason we're not importing them here or in the UK- surely we have a pathway to reintroduction at some stage? I don't know what the outcome of the EU funded programme is- but its definitely somehting worth exploring?

nilhg

All the big old Elms died here in the early 80's and Hurricane Charlie took most of the skeletons down in 85, quite a few now regrowing in the same hedgerows ad where they have escaped the hedgecutter growing to quite impressive heights but how long they will last is anyone's guess.

Bizzum

It's a long time since I've seen a living mature Elm tree.
I see young trees in hedges about, and I see a complete Elm hedge around one particular farm.
What I'm wondering is how does Mr Beetle cope along/near the coast?
Does prevailing winds/salt have any effect on either said beetle or the Elm itself?

time lord

"gone but not forgotten" I was shown a very large, very old one in full health in Co. Westmeath Castletown Geoghegan. I hadn't seen one since I was a child. It was very impressive and bar it was pointed out to me I wouldn't of spotted it.