MAA NEWS Spring2023_w | Page 7

Dutch Elm Disease

Spring Webinar

AVAILABLE MARCH 1 – June 30 , 2023
Recruiting & Retaining Your Greatest Asset – Talent !
We don ’ t need to tell you how challenging it is to find and keep qualified labor in today ’ s candidate-driven market . To succeed you need both short and long game strategies , including everything from company branding , meaningful culture , and value propositions that align with jobseekers ’ expectations . Our speaker , Heather Reitano , offers an eye-opening snapshot of current labor market trends , as well as practical tools and techniques to help optimize your recruiting strategies .
Heather Reitano is a recruiting manager for the Davey Tree Expert Company . Her 17 + years of experience in the
Heather Reitano , Davey Tree Expert Company
green industry include Contract Utility Forestry , Invasive Species Management and Urban Forestry . She is an ISA Certified Arborist , ISA Municipal Specialist , and holds a Senior Certified Professional Certification ( SHRM-SCP ) from the Society of Human Resource Management . In her corporate recruiting role with Davey she recruits for tree care , landscape , and environmental consulting roles in the Eastern region of the United States .
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Dutch Elm Disease

By Nicholas J . Brazee , UMass Extension Plant Pathologist
Dutch elm disease ( DED ) was first detected in Massachusetts in 1941 from an American elm ( Ulmus americana ) in Berkshire County . Over the past 82 years , countless elms have succumbed to the ravages of DED , although in recent years the number of dying trees has been far fewer . Lone sentinel elms are becoming increasingly rare as they slowly , but surely , become diseased and die .
This lethal vascular wilt is caused by the fungal pathogen Ophiostoma novo-ulmi and wild-type American elms rarely exhibit any natural resistance to the pathogen . Overland spread of DED from diseased to healthy elms is facilitated by the native elm bark beetle ( Hylurgopinus rufipes ) and the introduced ( now naturalized ) European elm bark beetle ( Scolytus multistriatus ). The disease also spreads from diseased to healthy trees through root grafts when elms are in close proximity to one another .
All North American elms are susceptible to DED to some degree . American elm , the most abundant elm species in New England , is highly susceptible while the two other native elms occasionally found in forest and landscape settings , rock elm ( U . thomasii ) and slippery elm ( U . rubra ), vary from susceptible to somewhat resistant . There have been great strides in producing DED-resistant American elm cultivars over many decades of dedicated research . Elms possess many of the qualities we seek in urban trees : fast growth rates , tolerance of poor and compacted soils , tolerant of pollution and storm water runoff , decay resistance , long lifespan and high aesthetic value . However , much work remains to reintegrate American elm into our urban and suburban forests .
This recently published article reviews the current state of Dutch elm disease and the use of American elm in our urban forests : A review of Dutch elm disease and new prospects for Ulmus americana in the urban environment . 2022 . Christopher A . Copeland , Richard W . Harper , Nicholas J . Brazee and Forrest J . Bowlick . Arboricultural Journal , https :// doi . org / 10.1080 / 03071375.20 22.2082177
Hort Notes 2022 Vol . 33:10
SPRING 2023 MAA NEWS 7