American elm

Descrizione

Ulmus americana, generally known as the American elm or, less commonly, as the white elm or water elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America. The trees can live for several hundred years. It is a very hardy species that can withstand low winter temperatures. The American elm was once exceptionally common as a street tree, its tolerance of urban conditions making it a popular choice to line American streets in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The coming of beetles bearing Dutch elm disease devastated the American elm population, starting in the 1920s. The species still holds out in some locations, but is also no longer nearly as common as during its height. The wood was seldom utilized until the advent of mechanical sawing. It is the state tree of Massachusetts and North Dakota.