The Elm Apocalypse
The Lake States have three native elm tree species. The American elm is the most common and the standard-bearer for the genus Ulmus, in the family Ulmaceae. Then, there is red or slippery elm and, finally, rock elm. Elms have long been minor components in the eastern forests of the United States. In Michigan, as much as five percent of forest volume was elm. That percentage is now under one percent. The graceful, vase-shaped, elegance of the American elm (U. americana) rendered it popular among urban and residential plantings. Many streets and boulevards were once lined with ...
