The American elm, North Dakota’s state tree, was once popular for its hardiness and rapid growth, but is now susceptible to Dutch elm disease. The disease spread to the US in the 1930s and has since infected trees in 41 states. New varieties have been bred to resist the fungus, including New Harmony and Valley Forge. The tree can grow up to 100 feet and is also known as Florida elm, water elm, white elm, and soft elm. It is used for furniture and is a food source for birds and deer.
North Dakota’s state tree is the American elm. It was once a pretty presence in virtually every small American town, gracing the parks and gracing the streets. Unfortunately this tree is extremely susceptible to a type of fungus known as Dutch elm disease, which has destroyed many of the American elms people had come to love. Once shady streets have become bare of trees and parks have suffered from tree death.
Before the fungus reached American shores, the North Dakota state tree was highly prized as a shade tree. Its popularity has been enhanced by its hardiness, rapid growth habit, and resistance to stress. Then the fungus hitchhiked to American shores in the 1930s in a European log lot, sparking the mass death of American elms. The disease has since spread to both coasts of the country and has infected trees in 41 states.
The mortality rate was a major concern in the 1940s, just when the American elm was adopted as the state tree of North Dakota. Massachusetts also adopted this elm as its state tree around the same time. North Dakota passed legislation favoring the creation of the American elm as the state tree in 1947. Scientists know that a beetle spreads the fungus, which is native to Asia. Beginning in Ohio, it spread westward rapidly.
A few new varieties of American elm were introduced to the market in the mid-1990s, specially bred to resist the fungus that killed so many elms decades earlier. Some of these promising strains are called New Harmony and Valley Forge. An older variety called Princeton also has good hardiness.
The North Dakota state tree can grow to 100 feet (30.48 meters) with a spread of 70 feet (21.33 meters). Its leaves turn various colors in autumn, ranging from gold to brown, before falling. Its scientific name is Ulmus americana and it is also known by the names Florida elm, water elm, white elm and soft elm. Early settlers loved the American elm just as much as their modern counterparts, calling the tree “the lady of the forest.” Birds and deer sustain themselves on food from the tree, and its wood is used to make furniture, chests, and boxes.
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