Knowledgebase
Trying to Save a Tree #400454
Asked May 16, 2017, 9:28 PM EDT
There is a tree on the boundary between us and our neighbors. We just purchased the home and are new to Colorado, so I don't know what kind of tree it is with certainty (I think Chinese Elm), and I don't know what's wrong with the tree, but the neighbors have decided that the tree needs to be cut down. My question is does this tree look like it can be saved? When the last big snow came through, it had leaves already, so a few of these trees looked rather stunted after that storm. This three has at least 2 branches that look like they have no leaves. The others are at maybe 50%. Many leaves have partial leaf die-off (I wonder if it's a fungus?). Apart from the obvious pruning, is there more that we can do? I'd hate to see such a large, beautiful tree cut down. It does look like (at one point) the tree had a second major off-shoot which was pruned (many years ago).
Thanks in advance for your help! It's incredibly appreciated!
Arapahoe County Colorado
Expert Response
The most common elm trees in the Denver area are American elm and Siberian elm. Elms in general have diminished in popularity because of poor shape, brittle branching, susceptibility to insects/disease and invasiveness. See this link for more information on elm trees:
http://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/trees-shrubs-vines/1746-elm-trees/
Elms have insect problems of many types: worms, leafrollers, caterpillars, mites, aphids and borers. Elms also have disease problems such as fungus, cankers, and phloem necrosis. There are several leaf spot diseases and insects such as elm leaf miner and elm leaf beetle which displays in the photo. Elms re-seed aggressively (also seen in the photo) and have few ornamental characteristics. For Colorado, there are numerous other tree choices with superior qualities.
It is always good practice to remove dead and diseased parts from a tree as it may help prevent the rest of the tree from dying. Although if it has an internal disease it may continue to spread to the remainder of the tree.
Perhaps a certified arborist can give you a cost/benefit analysis for diagnosing and treating the tree vs. removal and replacement. Certified arborists can be found here:
http://www.isa-arbor.com/home.aspx
http://www.asca-consultants.org/
