VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Ulmus americana | American Elm 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
The wood of American elm is coarse-grained, heavy, and strong.  It lacks
durability, warps, and splits badly in seasoning [44].  The wood is
used in the manufacture of boxes, baskets, crates, barrels, furniture,
agricultural implements, and caskets.  Elm veneer is used for furniture
and decorative panels [9,51].  American elm is also used for fuel wood
[13].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Although American elm is not considered a preferred browse, deer,
rabbits, and hares will occasionally browse the leaves and twigs
[24,49].  The seeds are eaten by a number of small birds.  The
flowerbud, flower, and fruit are eaten by mice, squirrels, oppossum,
ruffed grouse, northern bobwhite, and Hungarian partridge [5].


PALATABILITY : 
NO-ENTRY


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
American elm trees provide thermal cover and nesting sites for a variety
of primary and secondary cavity nesters [26,30].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
American elm can be planted for erosion protection and as a windbreak
[21,38].  Its shallow and widespreading roots make it fairly windfirm
[8,56].  American elm can be propagated by cuttings, but the results
have been variable.  Doran [14] reports that cuttings taken in June were
rooted with 94 percent success after treatment with indolebutyric acid
but rooted poorly with no treatment.  The propagation of root cuttings
was ineffective for American elm in Ohio [6].  Leafbud cuttings are
superior to soft-wood cuttings for propagating American elm [23].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Before the advent of Dutch elm disease, American elm was prized as a
street ornamental in many cities in North America [55].  The inner bark
of American elm was used in various decoctions by the Native Americans
in the southeastern United States [17].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
American elm has suffered greatly since the introduction of Dutch elm
disease from Europe around 1930.  Since then the disease has spread over
much of the United States [46,48].  The disease is caused by the fungus
Ceratocystis ulmi.  Spores of this fungus are carried by American
(Hylurgopinus rufipes) and European bark beetles (Scolytus multistria)
from diseased trees to healthy trees.  The beetles breed only in dead,
dying, or recently cut elm wood and winter as larvae under the bark.  In
the spring, adults emerge and fly a short distance (usually less than
500 feet [150 m]) to feed in the twig crothes or small branches in the
upper parts of the living trees.  As the beetles feed, the spores are
introduced into the tree and the tree becomes diseased.  After the
spores have been introduced into the tree's vascular system, the xylem
becomes plugged and a toxin is produced.  The trees wilt on the small
branches and eventually on the whole limbs [16,39,47].  A program for
controlling Dutch elm disease has been described [47].

Most of the genetic research of elm has been concerned with the
resistance of various species, varieties, races, and hybrids to Dutch
elm disease or phloem necrosis.  Natural hybridization in American elm
is uncommon, although controlled crosses have been made with Siberian
elm (Ulmus pumila).  However, the success of these controlled crosses
has been quite poor [2,29].  American elm is a tetraploid, having 28
chromosomes, while most other elms have 14 chromosomes, making it
difficult to cross with other elms [35].

Related categories for Species: Ulmus americana | American Elm