Posted on 01/19/2010 1:18:52 PM PST by JoeProBono
YARMOUTH, Maine -- Herbie, a massive tree that stretched 110 feet into the sky, captured the imagination of a town's residents and earned the title of New England's champion elm, was cut down Monday after a long battle with Dutch elm disease. It was more than 200 years old....
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Best thing to do now is grind the stump and immediately plant one of the many Dutch elm disease resistant elms available in the nursery trade. Heritage elm, I believe, is doing well in tests and outplantings as is another one that I believe is named Princeton elm.
Princeton' American Elm
Arboreal cancer.
That’s a good choice. Another is Retoration American Chestnuts. The American Chestnut Foundation is releasing seeds/seedlings that are the result of a 25 year back cross breeding program. They may or may not be blight resistant, which is one of the reasons that they are releasing the seeds/seedlings now to TACF members- for wider testing.
That darn Dutch Elm disease of the 50’s destroyed so many beautiful trees.
I know tree hugging around here is not well liked, but I love trees and especially ones that were here at the start of the country.
We also just lost a tree that was around during the Civil War.
*Sigh* ... losing an old friend is not easy.
Herbie in better days...
Lived here almost 50 years, and it was a big mature tree back then. Don't know how old it is, but it's seen a lot I'm sure.
I’d love to see a pic!
I heartily agree with you both. I spent a major part of my youth in the wooods. It was a haven for me even in my young years. Slept in the roots of many a big old tree.
The saddest loss for me was the famous Princeton Battlefield Mercer Oak....It was toppled by wind in 2000 and I was so sorry I never took a pic of my kids under it before (procrastinating) Learned that lesson....
.....Washington made his way to Princeton. Here, on January 3, 1777, Washington got his first victory against British Regulars. This is the place where General Hugh Mercer died( reported his body was brought under this tree).... whom Mercer county is named after, where the first US Marine died and where George Washington rallied his troops to carry on the fight for freedom.
There used to be a web site about champion trees that was delightful. It doesn't seem to exist any longer, but it was full of specimens that were noteworthy; Similar to this database.
"It's been a beautiful tree. I'm sorry to see it go. But nothing is forever," Knight said. "It's pretty near my turn. And it's just a fact of life that life is going to end. And that's for people, for trees, for everything. I thank the good Lord every day that we had him in his glory and beauty for so long."
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