Help...I Think My Elm I s Dying!!!!!!!

[YUKON 659]

I've got an American Elm in my yard that is not looking too good. It's about 40'-50' tall and about 20" DBH. The tree seemed to be healthy until last summer when it started to lose its leaves on a few leaders. Now those leaders still have no leaves and the rest of the tree has very small leaves and not too many of them. Is there anything I can do to help it?

Thanks, Jeff

 

[Guy Meilleur]

One of the sponsors of this site, rainbow, makes an elm treatment. You'll need an onsite diagnosis by an arborist to determine whether or not it's too late.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

It's too late.

 

[YUKON 659]

Thanks Guy, are these the symptoms of Dutch Elm Disease? Mike, like always, you've got such a way with words.

Jeff

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Get up to the part of the tree where there is both living and dead, peel an area of bark back and look for brown staining in the living area, if present, you have DED.
Chemical treatments are not effective on an Elm tree in it's second season of DED.
Even when immediately removing flagging (those first limbs at the top that turn yellow) and doing brak tracing (peeling back bark to expose brown staining of cambial area and removing all wood 8 feet below that stain), the chemical treatments are only preventitive.
The treatments will not protect the tree from exposure to DED from root grafts either, so if you have other Elms in the area that you want to save, it's time to start cutting roots.
The fungistat/fungicide(s) recommended for DED will only protect a healthy, non-infected tree from insects introducing DED.

 

[Dadatwins]

We used to sterilize tools used to work on DED trees to avoid spreading. Just some bleach on tools similiar use when working on oaks with wilt. Is this still done? Had to careful about DED chip disposal as to not introduce to another area.

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Originally posted by Dadatwins
bleach on tools similiar use when working on oaks with wilt. Is this still done?

I used to use bleach; now use alcohol.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Originally posted by Guy Meilleur
I used to use bleach; now use alcohol.

Me too.
It works just as well, but more importantly, it doesn't eat up the metal on the tools and won't damage climbing ropes.