# Dutch Elm-resistant trees- campaign to replant? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2002, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-elm-resistant-trees-campaign-to-replant/137310 "2002-11-18T15:01:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![andymurph64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@andymurph64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andymurph64)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-elm-resistant-trees-campaign-to-replant/137310/1 "2002-11-18T15:01:41Z")
Discover magazine mentioned in passing that a group of people have developed a Dutch Elm disease resistant strain and have a campaign to plant at least a million. I have room to give one or two a try. Of course, being Discover, they did not mention who this group of people are or how to contact them :rolleyes: A quick web search didn’t reveal anything. Has anyone heard of them? ---
**Author:** ![NardoPolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NardoPolo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NardoPolo)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-elm-resistant-trees-campaign-to-replant/137310/2 "2002-11-18T17:53:35Z")
That would be Penn State University. You can get some detail here: > **[Latest News (Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences)](https://agsci.psu.edu/news)** When I last checked, the trees that they were planting were somewhat resistant, but still expected to die of Dutch Elm disease eventually. But good luck. ---
**Author:** ![andymurph64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@andymurph64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andymurph64)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-elm-resistant-trees-campaign-to-replant/137310/3 "2002-11-18T18:56:59Z")
Thanks Nardo! Hmmm, if they will still die then I shouldn’t do it. I was thinking that some would die but most would live and that they were trying to repopulate. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-elm-resistant-trees-campaign-to-replant/137310/4 "2002-11-18T19:26:43Z")
When I moved into my house in 1972, the street was lined with stately old elms. Over a period of a few years in the 70s, all but one of them died. Since the disease (it is a fungus, isn’t it?) is supposedly highly contagious and this tree is very healthy 25 years later, one must suppose that it is quite resistant. Our I pull out dozens of baby elms (along with maples) every summer and they pretty much have to come from this tree, since there is no other elm nearby. I once tried to email this information to some plant biologist, but never got a reply, so I assumed that immune trees were not that rare. Is there is anyone I could or should tell about this? ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-elm-resistant-trees-campaign-to-replant/137310/5 "2002-11-18T23:40:21Z")
Are there any other trees that could replace the elms? ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-elm-resistant-trees-campaign-to-replant/137310/6 "2002-11-19T01:15:49Z")
hari seldon, you should def. contact someone about the tree. there are many american elm associations. perhaps there is one in your neck of the woods. just a quick check on yahoo showed quite a few. or perhaps the forest service nearest you. i read an article quite a while ago on a man who worked for the us forest service. he would travel around the country looking for trees like yours. he devoted his life to finding a solution to the elm and chestnut plagues in this country. it would be fantastic if the elm and chestnut could be replanted. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-elm-resistant-trees-campaign-to-replant/137310/7 "2002-11-19T22:16:02Z")
> [@](#): > > Are there any other trees that could replace the elms? [Ash Trees](http://www.freep.com/news/mich/ash30_20020930.htm) ☹ > [@](#): > > Ash trees became popular street and landscape trees after elms fell victim to Dutch elm disease. ---
**Author:** ![andymurph64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@andymurph64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andymurph64)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-elm-resistant-trees-campaign-to-replant/137310/8 "2002-11-19T22:44:10Z")
JFC!!! Will there be any trees left??? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-elm-resistant-trees-campaign-to-replant/137310/9 "2002-11-19T23:22:28Z")
Sure, plenty of trees out there, just not many stately Elms and Chestnuts. What about the Liberty Elm project? I know they planted some of them at my college when the old elms lining the Green had died. Ah, here’s a link: [http://www.libertyelm.com/](http://www.libertyelm.com/) What exactly are the Liberty Elms? They say several times on the site that they’re not hybrids, but 6 genetically different cultivars. What does this mean?