Failure™ Magazine

Nightmare on Elm Street

Why elm trees need a neighborhood watch program.

Written by Jason Zasky   Filed under Science & Technology

Elm tree on Baldwin Hill, Egremont, Massachusetts. Photo by Tom Zetterstrom.

For horror movie aficionados the scariest thing about Elm Street is Freddy Krueger. But an arborist is more likely to lose sleep worrying about an encounter with the dreaded elm bark beetle. Although this beetle is just one-eighth of an inch long and lacks Krueger’s sense of showmanship, the Dutch elm disease (DED) fungus it transmits is just as deadly as one of Freddy’s trademark slashes. So while Freddy vs. Jason is playing on the Big Screen, an even more intriguing showdown is taking place in the real world, with Elm Watch—a Massachusetts-based non-profit that encourages the protection of elm trees—facing off against the elm bark beetle, ensuring that its potential victims will not be cut down without a fight. It might be a losing battle, but with Elm Watch on the lookout, American elms just might have a chance to live another day.

Going Dutch
From the 1800s until the middle of the 20th century the American Elm (Ulmus americana) was the predominant shade tree in towns and cities throughout the northeastern United States. Majestic and aesthetically pleasing, its stress-resistant constitution allowed it to withstand the diverse environmental stresses associated with city conditions. In fact, the American elm might have retained its most-favored status in perpetuity if it weren’t for the fungus (Ophiostoma novo-ulmi) that causes DED (itself a misnomer, since it’s native to Asia but was first identified by a Dutch biologist). In the early 1930s, elm veneer logs infected with the fungus were imported from France to the U.S., then shipped overland to furniture manufacturers in Ohio. “You want to talk about bioterrorism? That was it,” says Tom Zetterstrom, founder and spokesman for Elm Watch. “It was the train of death, right into the heartland of America.”

Within a few years the elm bark beetle was transmitting the fungus throughout the natural range of the American elm—from Canada to Florida and across most of the United States—and trees began dying by the millions. The fungus is transferred when a beetle feeds on an infected elm, picks up microscopic spores on its body, flies to the next tree and feeds again. The beetle does no direct damage, but the newly deposited spores establish themselves and the following summer visible symptoms become evident. “You’ll see a little bit of yellow in June, July and August when the tree should be green,” says Zetterstrom. “Then the leaves start to curl and shrivel and turn brown as the fungus clogs the vascular system.”

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