January 16, 2002resistant elms---------------------
Light snow flurries fell on Au Train Lake today. Temperatures were around 30, and with light winds, it was a great day to take a walk. Today's photograph shows the long stretch of road I walk every day. The road is a great place to walk because there is virtually no traffic. During the winter there are almost no cars, trucks, snowmobiles or diesel tractors. You can actually hear the wind as it rushes through the trees. There are advantages to living on a dead end road. I was reading an article in the New York Times recently about the elm tree comeback. The article said that "more than 70 years after Dutch elm disease began to wipe out 90 percent of the magnificent American elms that lined the streets of so many cities and towns, a handful of resistant varieties are beginning to cast their regal shade over the country's lawns and boulevards." I first learned about Dutch elm disease as a Troop 44 Boy Scout. I remember holding a piece of elm in my hands and observing the damage caused by the disease. Now, a few decades later, it's great to hear that the elm is staging a comeback. Now, if only the American Chestnut could do the same... New Slide Show! Ice Fishing Outing (14 Pictures) -------------------- A resistant elm is not necessarily a beautiful elm.
Anne Raver,
Once Devastated, Elms Start to Rebound,
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