It seems that a slow recovery from Dutch elm disease has been progressing quietly ove the last few decades.
Most of the big elm trees that "died" from the disease had root systems that survived the infection & put up suckers that grew into more young trees. I learnt today that the offspring are more disease-resistant than the original trees. A few have grown to maturity i.e. capable of flowering, cross-pollinating with a planted (cultivated) disease-resistant variety of English elm and producing seeds. Today I saw a couple of specimens about 20m tall, looking as healthy as any deciduous tree can look in winter.
It all prompted 2 thoughts: -
There are many elm hedges in Warwickshire. We probably rode past some in the daylight part of last year's Rollright Stones ride. They seem to have survived modern flailing hedge management for decades.
Ash dieback disease may well kill the majority of our big ash trees. Perhaps there is some hope that the species will adapt & survive, with or without human intervention. I won't see it in my lifetime, but our grandchildren might.
FWIW today's work party was at the Stockton Cutting SSSI, GR SP438652, about 3km from the Green Man in Long Itchington. There should be some interesting wild flowers in the newly acquired Andy Tasker meadow opposite the canalside pub during the
Long Itchington weekend.
