(This story is by Emily Greenberg, a freelance writer in Charlotte who contributes to several Vermont-based publications. She has also written for periodicals in Washington state and New York state.)
[A] tree believed to be the largest slippery elm in New England was cut down earlier this month. The 200-year-old giant, which stood in a yard on Thompson’s Point Road in Charlotte, succumbed to Dutch elm disease, a fungus killing trees across the nation.
“It’s upsetting because Dutch elm disease is something that can be prevented,” said Rich Cartier, a New England territory arborist who works for Rainbow Tree Care, a company specializing in products and protocols for tree diseases. “I wish somebody would have asked me earlier.”
By the time Cartier heard about the Charlotte tree, it was already dead.
Dutch elm disease is spread two ways: by the elm bark beetle and through the roots of adjacent trees. If spread by the beetle, a fungicide can be injected into the bottom of the trunk and prevent the disease from advancing for up to three years.
David Garrett, the owner of the property where the tree stood nearly 109 feet tall with a 19-foot trunk circumference, had seen other elms on his land die from the disease. But the last one was more than 30 years ago — while the tallest elm continued to thrive.
“It’s always been in full bloom,” Garrett said. “Until this year.”
Last winter Garrett saw an article in a local newspaper about the biggest elm in the region. But the Charlotte tree was taller, so he called The Nature Conservancy of Vermont to ask about the towering specimen in his yard.
The organization says Garrett’s was the biggest slippery elm in New England. Garrett and Gus Goodwin, the conservation coordinator for The Nature Conservancy, were inspired to get the tree on the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation’s “Big Tree” list, but it was dead before the process was complete.
Because the Charlotte tree seemed to have resisted disease for so many years, the conservancy collected seeds from it last spring in hopes of sprouting hardy offspring.
However, the seeds proved infertile, and leaves never formed later in the season.
“There’s still evidence to suggest that this tree was a survivor to earlier onsets of Dutch elm disease,” Goodwin said. “If the stump sprouts there’s a chance to plant those … but it’s a long shot.”
The town already has some disease-resistant elms that were planted last year with the help of volunteers. Charlotte’s deputy tree warden, Sue Smith, said four of 10 planted have survived so far — a rate she said is not bad.
“Burlington once had elms towering over the streets,” she said. “All of the native elms here are going to die eventually. We’re trying to plant more disease-resistant trees so people can enjoy them.”
The first elm bark beetle carrying the tree-killing fungus arrived in North America from France in 1931, according to Bio Forest Technologies, a Canadian company that developed a fungicide to treat the disease. However, the fungus is said to have originated in Asia and arrived in Europe around 1900. About 77 million American elm trees have died from the disease.
The Nature Conservancy is leading the effort in Northeast elm restoration, planting 7,000 disease-resistant trees over the course of three years in the Connecticut River region and the Champlain Valley. The effort functions dually with the group’s floodplain restoration projects.
“When we plant these trees, we do it in priority sites for floodplain restoration, and we alternate the elm plantings with other tree species,” Goodwin said. “This serves a dual purpose: It prevents the elms from root grafting with each other, reducing the risk of transmitting disease between them, and gives us a head start on floodplain restoration where elms succumb to Dutch elm disease. “
From its onset, the disease progresses very quickly. Once the towering Charlotte tree was confirmed dead, it was time for Garrett to start thinking about removal. He contacted John Monks, of Vermont Tree Goods, who turns damaged and dying trees into furniture and home goods. Garrett gave Monks the rights to the wood in exchange for removal, a value of about $10,000, Garrett said.
Once the landmark tree has been turned into items that are sold, Monks plans to make a philanthropic gift to help The Nature Conservancy’s elm restoration effort.
The majestic tree was known well by community members, many of whom came to view its felling Nov. 2.
“It was kind of like saying goodbye to an old friend,” Garrett said. “The yard looks kind of empty now.”
