2 UP, 2 DOWN.It was a rough summer to be a notable tree. AMERICAN FORESTS received updates on several trees known for their size or connection to history. First, the country's largest known American elm is dying. That's the message from Virginia Tech tree expert R. Jay Stipes sti·pes n. pl. stip·i·tes 1. The basal segment of the maxilla of an insect or a crustacean. 2. Botany A stalklike support or structure; a stipe. , Ph.D., who diagnosed it as suffering from Dutch elm disease Dutch elm disease: see diseases of plants; elm. Dutch elm disease Widespread disease that kills elms, caused by the fungus Ceratocystis ulmi. It was first identified in the U.S. . "The disease is rampant throughout the tree," Stipes says. The professor of plant pathology says the tree could die within a year. Located in Grand Traverse County, Michigan Grand Traverse County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 77,654, with a 2006 estimate of 84,952. The county seat is Traverse City6. Geography According to the U.S. , the elm has been listed on AMERICAN FORESTS' National Register of Big Trees The National Register of Big Trees is a list of the largest living specimens of each tree variety found in the continental United States. A tree on this list is often called a National Champion Tree. since 1998 and will remain national champion until it either dies or a larger tree is found. Another champ, the national co-champion smoketree at Perdue Perdue may refer to:
(Nomination forms for the 2002 Register are available from coordinator Jen Pietruski, at jpietruski@amfor.org, or 800/368-5748, ext. 231. Deadline: August 1, 2001. The Register is sponsored by the Davey Tree Expert Company.) In New York, quick local action has saved the state champ butternut after Brittney Enterprises, Ltd. announced plans for a six-home development that would force the tree's removal. After locals voiced opposition, the developer scaled back plans and will build five homes instead of six, allowing the tree to remain standing. Although not the largest of its kind in the U.S., the butternut is sizable at about 80 feet tall with a 16-foot circumference. Finally, another historic tree has died of old age. The Appomattox honey-locust stood beside the historic Richmond-Lyncbburg Stage Road in the hamlet of Appomattox Court House Appomattox Court House Former town, southern central Virginia, U.S., site of the surrender of Robert E. Lee to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, effectively ending the American Civil War. , Virginia, when Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered on April 9, 1865, ending the Civil War. The tree was more than 180 years old. The tree leaves hundreds of direct descendants at AMERICAN FORESTS Historic Tree nursery in Jacksonville, Florida. To order one or find out about other historic trees, call 800/320-TREE. |
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