Hawthorn Woods concerned about Dutch elm disease

A news story from Pioneer Press

The emerald ash borer beetle has raised concerns about tree welfare throughout Illinois, but Hawthorn Woods has seen a spike in an old tree nemesis: Dutch elm disease.
Dutch elm has been infecting trees in the area for over 50 years, but the stress of the summer 2005 drought has made elm trees more susceptible to the disease, said village landscape architect Tom Kusmerz.
"When a person is weak or stressed they tend to get ill more easily," he said. "It's the same with trees."
Dutch elm is a fungal disease afflicting elm trees. The disease is caused by the Asian elm bark beetle. It has surfaced in several Hawthorn Woods residences recently, prompting village officials to launch an educational campaign for citizens to identify whether or not their elms are infected.
"This is a serious threat. We could lose thousands of trees in the village and that could have a significant effect on the village as a whole," said Trustee Steve Riess.
There are treatments available for elms that are just beginning to show symptoms, but nothing is 100-percent effective, said Kusmerz. The treatment involves injecting a liquid into a tree's trunk. Cost can vary by size and other factors. Treatments are most effective when given to healthy elms annually to prevent contracting the disease, he said.
Riess, who heads the village's environmental committee, is drafting a proposal to fund an educational campaign which would send letters to all residents giving them tips on spotting Dutch elm and telling them who to contact if they believe their tree is infected. The goal is to treat the trees when possible or immediately remove them if they are dead, he said.
"I put a lot of faith in our village population that when they get the letter in the mail they will act," Kusmerz said. "People here care about their trees, that's why it's called Hawthorn Woods."
Section Four of the village ordinance states that residents with diseased or dead trees are required to remove them immediately or face legal penalties.
Jeff Squibb of the Illinois Department of Agriculture said that because Dutch elm has been integrated for so long, control and education regarding Dutch elm is the responsibility of individual municipalities.
The department is actively educating and warning citizens about the emerald ash borer, which unlike Dutch elm, once an ash tree shows signs of infection it's already too late. The Asian beetle devastated Michigan trees in 2002 and has been found in Kane County.
The Morton Arboretum in Lisle has scientists researching both diseases and since 1996 George Ware, the arboretum's dendrologist emeritus, has developed two breeds of elm that are resistant to Dutch elm disease.
Ware said the trees, which he named the Accolade and the Triumph, are 99-percent resistant because they are hybrids he created using disease-resistant Chinese elms. Researchers are using the same strategy with Chinese ash trees to try and control the emerald ash borer threat. BY TONY A. SOLANO

Dutch elm disease occurs annually in Illinois. Each year, the University of Illinois Plant Clinic and Morton Arboretum report infested trees. (http://hyg.aces.uiuc.edu/secure/subscribers/200610b.html)

For more information on Dutch Elm Disease:
http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/vista/pdf_pubs/647.pdf
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_ded/ht_ded.htm