Uses for elms

Just wondering if anyone has first hand experience using elm for any purpose. Siberian Elm is an abundant weed tree here, and American elm is a common planted tree in my city.

From what I've found through Plants for a Future, the seeds are edible and high in protein, wood is rot-resistant in water, inner bark & leaves edible. Anyone have experience cultivating mushrooms on Siberian elm?

when I lived in a mixed forest in GA, I found that elm was one of the favorite browse plants for goats....they would seek it out, eat on it first and thoroughly before moving on to just about anything else.

Here in Ladakh elms traditionally grew in just one region. The bark was shredded and soaked and used as shampoo or conditioner or something, back in the days before people had commercial soaps and shampoos. I've never seen it in action myself.

I know morel mushrooms grow around dead elms.....

I feed the leaves to my rabbits. I feed them fresh when they're available, and dry some to feed them in the winter.

I was eating the green seeds all spring. They make a good soup thickener, go well in salad, or you can just eat them by the handful. I used to curse the majestic siberian elm but now it seems pretty good to have around.

Just eating them straight off the tree? I was peeling the skin off the dry ones that were falling off the American elm in my front yard, and ate a few. I remember experiencing some minor throat irritation though it could have been unrelated or just in my head.

The seed seems promising as a staple if it could be collected efficiently. Perhaps by coppicing, or maybe spreading some kind of sheet to catch them.

I was inspired to ask about elms by the thread about Box Elders. Box elder and Siberian elm are the two most common 'weed trees' that grow around here, and after realizing the utility of the Box Elder, I was curious about the Siberian elm.

On a side note, has anyone else noticed the high incidence of bacterial infection on pruning wounds on elms? Almost every cut made results in soft, orange bark below the cut extending down quite some distance. I don't know what this says about the tree, but it could be a clue to something.

I have success growing oyster mushrooms off of Siberian Elm stumps. Grey oyster mushroom seems to be growing best for me.

Besides the mushrooms that Timothy suggested, the leaves would make great leaf mold or they can be added to the compost pile ...

Alder Burns wrote:when I lived in a mixed forest in GA, I found that elm was one of the favorite browse plants for goats....they would seek it out, eat on it first and thoroughly before moving on to just about anything else.

My goats love it.  Goats and weed trees go together like peanut butter and jelly.

My strategy is to pollard them and then run the goats through once they leaf out. They are so vigorous they can take the abuse and keep going.

I have processed many American white elms into many cords of firewood. Burns hot and long.  Despite what this slanderous poem says.

https://apexchimneysweeps.co.uk/firewood-poem-lady-celia-congreve/

Makes me wonder if English Elm is really that different from what we have on this side of the pond.