Elm Research Data

The elms planted here are seedlings of controlled crosses between cultivars of 100% American elm (Ulmus americana) that are known to be tolerant to Dutch elm disease (DED).  The parent cultivars used in these crosses were Valley Forge, Princeton, R18-2, and Delaware-2.  Research has demonstrated that some of the seedlings from these controlled crosses may also be tolerant to DED.  Thus these elm trees at Como Woods have a high probability of having higher tolerance to DED than the general population of elm.  The trees were provided by the US Forest Service, as part of an ongoing demonstration and trial of how these American elm trees perform planted in a forested setting.  (Tolerance is different from resistance.  A disease tolerant tree is one that may contract DED but have it to a lesser degree and be able to survive.  A resistant tree is one that when exposed to DED will not contract it.)

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