Dutch Elm Disease by Dave Kirk 4th Dec
Our Chairman, David Kirk rounded off his year in office with an illustrated talk about his worktime experience working with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food helping farmers particularly with drainage and ditch clearance attracting a 60% grant from the Government. As most Elm trees grew in ditch lines, his services were much in demand during the Dutch Elm Disease (DED) epidemic. The Elm bark beetle is the culprit as a carrier by depositing a deadly fungus under the elms bark. This stimulates the elm to block off the tree’s zylem tubes (carrier of sap from root to treetops) to stop the disease spreading. This however starves the tree of water and dies. This started in Asia and first appeared in UK in the 1920’s with the native elm bearing no resistance. This early outbreak emanating from Holland (hence the name) had died out by the 1940’s.
The elm can grow to 35 metres tall with 2 metre diameter trunk and the disease attacks the larger trees first. DED arrived again in Southampton docks as shipments of timber from Japan via Canada in 1967 destined for the boat building industry and quickly spread.
The technique to remove dead elm involved huge dozers to push over and fork lifts to move. Initially, the timber was sold on to timber merchants and when that market collapsed, it had to be burned which took 3 weeks. Knowing he had access to explosives, he experimented with basting. With the right charge, the tree would shatter and fall making it easier and quicker to burn in a week or less, thus saving time and less cost hiring dozers and lifters. This experience with gelignite, led to the removal of massive sarson stones needing 20 lbs of ‘jelly’ to split them. What other job gave you the ‘boys toys’ pleasure of driving huge diggers and blowing things up ‘Blaster Bates’ style.
Our native elms survive today disease free in the hedgerows as coppiced elm is not affected below a few metres in height.
Member Peter Lewis gave the vote of thanks as his grandad was a shot firer with dynamite in the Welsh pits.
Posted by Rick Purnell Press Officer
