Is This A Stupid Tree?

Is this Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila) a stupid tree? My Hackberry trees were the first to loose their leaves--its as if they knew about those early heavy,wet snowfalls we get here like last week. But the Siberian Elm will undoubtedly be the last tree in my yard to go dormant. They often suffer from winter die-back, possibly because they keep growing blithely into the late fall months, fully clothed in bright green leaves--long after the other trees have shed theirs. Squirrels find its bark a tasty treat and it's also host to Elm Leaf Beetles that are sometimes(erroneously) blamed for Dutch Elm Disease. Siberian Elms are very resistant to DED: a reason they have been used to breed new American Elm cultivars that are resistant to Dutch Elm Disease.

Some people consider this a trash tree. "Not so" says Kelly Grummons of Timberline Gardens in Wheatridge, CO. Trees like Siberian Elm, Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera), and Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) just don't get no respect. These were some of the trees that were planted on the high plains when the area was first settled by whites. They served as critical species to provide windbreaks and shade in a land where the wind and sun never seem to stop. Kelly grew up on the dry plains of Wyoming and knows the value of a tree in such harsh environments. Now these trees are considered noxious weeds in some states--but this just goes toward demonstration of how built environments evolve. These trees were first used in non-irrigated places and they were treasured. They didn't start to become a problem until so much of the west started being irrigated. They are still used in some places on the plains that don't have easy access to nurseries. It was these pioneers that modified the existing ecosystem enough to allow other, more valued trees to take hold.

So maybe I shouldn't be calling such an old-timer stupid--maybe the tree is just socially challenged. It's not a particularly attractive tree--I'm allowing it to grow until the Hackberry gets large enough to screen my view of some power lines. Native to northern China, eastern Siberia, Manchuria and Korea it is extremely drought and cold hardy, but it seeds prolifically and easily colonizes in groves in unwanted areas. It competes too well and takes over habitat once held by native plants. We have a large stack of firewood from all the Siberian Elms we've cut down to make room for more desirable trees. We owe the species a debt of gratitude, even if it isn't owed a place in the garden anymore.