What is Dutch Elm Disease?
Dutch Elm Disease (DED) is one of the most destructive plant diseases of the 20th century. Killing millions of trees throughout Europe and North America, it has caused billions of dollars of losses, both directly and indirectly. Furthermore DED has inestimably damaged the beauty of the urban landscape. The origin of Dutch Elm Disease remains a enigma. Immediately after World War I, people in France and Belgium began to notice their European elms were dying by the thousands. Dutch Elm Disease (DED) is now one of the most widely known plant diseases in the world. The causal fungus, Ophiostoma ulmi, was first isolated in Europe in 1920. The disease’s first US foot hold was gained in Ohio in the 1930’s. Today, seventy-five years later, the disease is still a threat to the American Elm populations across North America. Currently there is no cure for Dutch Elm Disease. The fungus invades the vascular system of an elm (analogous to the veins of animals) and prohibits water movement in the tre
