Dutch Elm disease.Survivor.

[Paul.J]

Just watched the local Midlands BBC news,which reported on an old Elm tree that was discovered two years ago in Pershore, which as survived the disease,while all else round it,even new shutes which are growing in the hedge rows next to it are still been killed off when they reach a certain height.
The experts have been taking cuttings from the surviving disease protected tree,and things look good for them :shock:
The report ended wanting to know of other trees that have survived.
Just found the full report
Here

 

[Philly]

Excellent news! Fingers crossed it will be a success.
Philly

 

[Jenx]

(Excuse my dreadful lack of knowledge of Botanical matters here... )....

Would it be possible that, over time, a species could conceivably become resistant to a disease ? ..

you know, like the various 'influenzas' become resistant to the medications that try to kill them ? ... is that possible ?


It certainly sounds like good news, anyway !

 

[wizer]

I don't think that has happened historically. Hence the wipe out of dozens of species.

Hopefully in 20yrs I'll be making my tool cabinet from Elm

 

[MikeG.]

That is exactly what happens, Jenx. Remember, it is the species, rather than individual tree, that changes over time.

However, the timescales may be greater than a human lifetime, giving evolution-deniers the chance to say "show me".

MIke

 

[Finial]

An example of the fittest surviving. perhaps to be among the first of an evolved species. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see elms common again one day, I always thought them the most archetypical tree of the English countryside and it was a tragedy when they disappeared.

 

[Jenx]

Thanks Lads, for explaining ..
Again, showing my dreadful lack of all things 'arboreal' ...

What started it ? was it a beetle or a fungal thing ?

I remember as a kid, whilst we lived in Bristol for a while.. there were signs on trees ( i guess maybe they were elms ), with wording relating to Dutch Elm Disease.. ( I was only maybe 9 or so, - so don't remember it too clearly )...
I do remember it being a big talking point with the Adults...
Be fantastic if Paul's tree is the beginnings of a recovery..

 

[big soft moose]

Thanks Lads, for explaining ..
Again, showing my dreadful lack of all things 'arboreal' ...

What started it ? was it a beetle or a fungal thing ?

I remember as a kid, whilst we lived in Bristol for a while.. there were signs on trees ( i guess maybe they were elms ), with wording relating to Dutch Elm Disease.. ( I was only maybe 9 or so, - so don't remember it too clearly )...
I do remember it being a big talking point with the Adults...
Be fantastic if Paul's tree is the beginnings of a recovery..

Its a fungus - spread by the elm bark beetle, but originating (probably) in the himilayas - the name dutch elm disease comes from the disease being identified in holland in the 1920s - it does not indicate , as is popularly supposed that it spread here from holland or that it is limited to the dutch elm variant.

more info here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_elm_disease

(and incidentally (pedant alert ) things "aboreal" / "arboricultural" apply more to individual trees, diseases effecting a whole species and its growing capability in the uk are more "silvacutural" )

 

[milkman]

Elms propagate very easily by 'suckering', where a root sends up a shoot which then eventually becomes a tree.
This is a problem, because the genetic diversity of the species becomes a bit limited. As opposed to the intermingling of genes that takes place through seed production.
If a virus like elm disease turns up the species is very vulnerable, particularly as I think the virus kills of trees before they can become seed producers.
Unfortunately we contributed to this by not husbanding elms from seed, hopefully they will start raising from elm seed as well as the cuttings.
[I'm assuming elms produce viable seeds unlike say, London Plane]

 

[Jenx]

Moose, Milkman ...
thanks for that. 8) 8)

 

[miles_hot]

Elms propagate very easily by 'suckering', where a root sends up a shoot which then eventually becomes a tree.

With this in mind it seems odd that the surrounding area does not seem to have any surviving trees or saplings...

Miles

 

[Paul.J]

Just an update.
After yesterdays request for viewers to report of any other existing Elms,they have had reports on this dinner times news of a" further twenty six,all over the country,as far afield as Cambridge."

 

[laird]

I hoped the elm in my back garden was a survivor, but it started to succumb last year. Moved a shed down the garden for when branches start dropping. There's now new growth coming out of the base, above ground level, so I have hopes (remote, but hope) of it doing the phoenix.

 

[loz]

Elms propagate very easily by 'suckering', where a root sends up a shoot which then eventually becomes a tree.

With this in mind it seems odd that the surrounding area does not seem to have any surviving trees or saplings...

Miles

From that wiki link,

"The species still survives in hedgerows, as the roots are not killed and send up root sprouts ("suckers"). These suckers rarely reach more than 5 m tall before succumbing to a new attack of the fungus. However, established hedges kept low by clipping have remained apparently healthy throughout the nearly 40 years since the onset of the disease in the UK."

 

[dickm]

We had one elm in the garden hedge of our last house that was about 3m tall when we moved in. All the surrounding elms died back, as did the suckers in the hedges when they reached about 3m. "My" one went a bit sickly in one of the dry summers but seemed to recover. It was about 8m tall when we sold the house, so may still be surviving.