Question about Dutch Elm Disease

[CHARLIE]

I have a question from a woodturning friend of mine.
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Do you know if the Dutch Elm disease is carried in the wood itself? In other words, is it a bad idea to use infected Elm for lumber or woodturning projects?

[Stephen_Wiley]

Hi Charlie,

The pathogen is a vascular wilting pathogen. Which means it will be in the water conducting tissues of the wood. Usually in the sapwood, current years growth and cambium. However, it can be carried into the xlyem  from the roots.

It is commonly spread by two different elm beetles which bores through the bark and either digests or carries the spores to an uninfected plant.

Most sanitation measures are by eradication of all the wood / bark either by burning or burying.

The immediate removal of the bark and burning of the bark is the first important step in reducing beetle activity and reduction of optimum growing conditions for spores.

Probably your freinds interest in the wood is due to the brown staining of the vascular tissues by the disease. This is where the spores are produced from.

Most information about the disease eradication or sanitation is geared towards the prevention of beetle breeding or feeding .

I would think that the concern your friend would have here is being prudent in not causing further spread. If the wood was void of bark, dried for a couple of years, processed under controlled conditions, then sealed with a varnish. He may be able to get a few pieces without causing further spread.

Hopefully my answer has not confused you. To simplify, yes the fungal spores may be in the vascular tissues of the wood depending upon the age of the wood. But will only cause a problem if allowed to come into contact with a carrier.

May want to check with your state agriculture, department of resources or forestry offices for any regulations governing the handling of infected wood.  May be able to do the work during the winter months to minimize contaminants.

[etat]

While over at my inlaws Christmas day a few of us were sitting on the deck on the backside of the house.  The house is built on the side of a hollar.  Tall trees reaching up from down in there reaching up and trying to get sunlight.  Not a lot of limbs until way up.  This is a real steep drop off, right beside the deck. He's only got a couple of acres there but there's some pretty nice trees down in there. And he is wanting a few of them thinned out.  Now don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to tackle, or cut any of these due to the difficulties and dangers involved.  If he ever does get someone to cut a few of them and they don't want the wood I would try to find a way to winch the logs out, however that's neither here or now.  Anyway, growing up only about 6 or 8 feet behind the deck there's a fairly nice sized Elm tree.  I noticed in places there was rings of holes bored into the tree.  These were in several different places and the holes were in line, circled around the diamater of the tree.  I was looking at the tree about 10 or 12 feet up  and was wondering about these holes at the time.  Is this an indication of type of beetles that cause Dutch Elm disease and if so, should anything be done.  The tree, even though it had already shed it's leaves was healthy looking.  This was the only elm I could see from the deck, the rest appeared to be white oak and other hardwood species.  The squirrels were playing and having a ball that day.

[Stephen_Wiley]

,

The description of the holes you observed are mostly likely caused by sapsuckers these birds are after the sap.  Woodpeckers will also create holes in the bark but are not as lineal as sapsucker holes and are often larger in size.

Elm beetles create very small 'pin' size holes in which you would have to be near to the trunk to observe.

[CHARLIE]

Thank you very much for the information Stephen. I sure learned a lot.  My friend will be grateful also.

Charlie