I work as a teacher and land manager for my school district. Managing hundreds of acres of land as well as a functioning arboretum, I think I have a lot to offer this community and I am so excited to participate and learn from you all. The first topic I would like to bring to all of your attention are the presence of several large elms under my management. Across about 200 acres, we have about dozen elms over 18 inches DBH. I have had the largest specimens genetically tested, and some of our larger 24+ inch trees are pure American elms, which warrants its own post. Intriguingly, 2 very large elms in the collection came back as Siberian/Slippery Elm hybrids.
This combination is typically called Ulmus rubra x pumila or Ulmus x intermedia. The parent species are from Eurasia (Siberian Elm) and Eastern North America (Slippery Elm). The slippery elm is a similar elm to the American Elm, but with more medicinal properties in the bark. It is similarly ravaged by Dutch Elm Disease and Elm Yellows and is therefore relegated mostly to small scrubby ditch and edge trees these days. Siberian elm is an introduced species, and a very effective pioneer. It grows fast, is very cold tolerant, can grow in bad soil, is almost fully Dutch Elm Disease resistant, and leafs out early and drops its leaves later than almost any other hardwood, giving it a longer growing season. It also seeds prolifically, something the slippery elm doesn’t do.
Both large trees in the collection have large, broad leaves more typical of the native North American elms. They also have existed for a long time in a landscape with active and aggressive Dutch elm disease. I think these two large trees (especially the massive single trunk one) can be extremely valuable in a permaculture and displays perspective, because they provide the massive architecture, shade casting and general features of a native elm with the longer growing season, disease resistance and seed production of the Siberian elm. I am very interested in sharing seeds and propagation material
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Multi Trunk Hybrid Elm
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Large Single Dominant Stem Hybrid Elm
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4-6 inch leaves
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Multi Stem Hybrid Crown Form
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Large Single Stem Hybrid back left, Mature American already leaf dropped on right
Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner
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