i, too, came here in search of what might pair well with siberian elm, as we have an abundance of them where i live here in northern new mexico and almost everyone “hates” them. however, after reading “beyond the war on invasive species” by tao orion and “one
straw revolutionary” by larry korn it seems that the construct of invasive species is quite limited and ignores the conditons we humans have created for these species to thrive in.
at any rate, i’ve begun tallying the siberian elm’s benefits and uses. so far i have:
-edible seeds (samaras, as noted above—a complete protein, as well, i hear). also, after reading the above about papery seed removal, i suspect there is a vast potentiality for food/seed oil, etc. from the seeds only.
-shares
medicinal properties of slippery elm
-hardwood good for burning or building (if cut and split green)
-forage for animals (apparently goats LOVE it)
-fast-growing shade tree that is drought hardy (excellent here in the desert southwest)
there are certainly species that can thrive along its edges, but in the elm forest around where i live it appears to be almost a monoculture, save some species that likely existed before the elms came in (here a cottonwood or something in that family). the allelopathic model in
gaia's garden by toby hemenway lays out some species that can be guilded, e.g. black walnut, mulberry, elderberry, hackberry, etc., so there are definitely some species that can work around these allelopathic pioneer species.
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