About a week or so ago my wife and I noticed a large part of our giant elm tree appeared to be dying. We immediately feared Dutch Elm Disease, and after meeting with two different arborists this past week we found out that was their diagnosis also. Neither of them gave much hope of saving the tree.
Dutch elm disease (DED) is a fungus disease spread by the elm bark beetle. Infected trees wilt and turn brown in summer, usually starting in the upper part of the tree. It spread fast in this one, almost before our very eyes. The tree leafed out normally this spring, but now in mid summer over 50% of the limbs are brown and withered. Part of the bark on the trunk is peeling off, and the insect damage is visible.
One arborist told us it is possible the beetles have been working on the tree for some time. Last year it had a lot of broken limbs from the ice storm that winter. We had them trimmed back by a tree trimming service, but that damage and the trimming stressed the tree and opened it up to insects.
We also have another big elm tree that appears to be symptom free at the present time. We are going to take a proactive approach with it. Since the disease is spread by insects, we are going to treat it with Imidacloprid, applied as a soil drench. That will kill any beetles that try to feed on the tree. We also have the option of treating it with a fungicide. I am reluctant to use any chemicals in the garden, and Imidacloprid is not without controversy, since it has been linked to a decline in bee populations. However that was when the chemical was used on crops pollinated and visited by bees. Elm trees are wind-pollinated and unlikely to be visited by bees. It’s a tough call.
As a result of this unfolding drama, for the last few days I have been in a wistful, philosophical mood. At first I am saddened by the demise of the giant tree that has stood in this place for perhaps a century. How many children have played under it? How many people besides my wife and I have enjoyed its shape and form? How many have been cooled by its shade? Am I the only one to have placed my hand on its massive trunk (130″ around) and told it how much it was admired and appreciated? Is it even appropriate to grieve the loss of a tree?
But then I also realize that it is the nature of trees and people to grow, live, and then die. All of the trees at Happy Acres will die someday. We just didn’t expect this one would depart so soon.
As if to illustrate the circle of life, when we were walking around with one of the arborists we spied this young elm seedling hiding out beneath a weigela shrub. Even as one tree is dying, another has taken root. Life goes on.
I found myself drawn today to one of the better known parts of the Book of Ecclesiastes, the part that Pete Seeger turned into the song “Turn! Turn! Turn!”. The words there seem to sum up my feelings about the elm tree and its passing, as well as my own time on this earth.
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”
Much of Ecclesiastes is dark and depressing to me, but I find these words comforting. We spent two hours this morning weeding and harvesting at the church garden. It was tiring work, but also soothing to my psyche. It’s all part of the rhythm of the seasons of life.
I bid you all peace, and if you love your trees, please give them a big hug while you still can.