Photos by Steven
Parks workers were in Tompkins Square Park today to remove this American Elm between the main lawn and the dog run... unfortunately, workers said the tree had Dutch elm disease and needed to come down...
Dutch elm disease isn't a stranger to Tompkins Square Park, as we've seen through the years.
Spread by bark beetles, the disease has decimated elm populations throughout much of Europe and North America.The leaves on one or more branches of a stricken tree suddenly wilt, turn dull green to yellow or brown, curl, and may drop early. Young, rapidly growing elms may die in one to two months; older or less vigorous trees sometimes take two years or more to succumb. A brown to black discoloration occurs in the white sapwood of wilting branches just under the bark.
