NEW American elm collection – The rebuilding of Oklahoma boulevards



by Veronica Keithley

Oklahoma boulevards are hallmarked by large, old American elm trees. Their stately presence has shaded streets and watched Oklahoma progress from frontier to modern society. As we all know, however, Dutch elm disease has decimated the American elm population throughout Oklahoma, forever changing our landscape.

New American elm cultivars are available that may hold the key to rebuilding our urban forest. Dutch elm disease-resistant American elms recently on the market include ‘New Harmony,’ ‘Valley Forge’, and ‘Princeton.’ With slight variations in form, ‘New Harmony’ and ‘Valley Forge’ being vase-shaped trees while ‘Princeton’ has a more upright form, there is a new cultivar to fit practically any landscaping plan. Two beautiful specimens of the fast growing ‘Princeton’ can be seen at Oklahoma City University’s Native Tree Arboretum, a project gifted to the university by the Tree Bank Foundation. Try one of these American elm cultivars in your next landscaping project, and you’ll see why they are Oklahoma Proven!

Contact

A chinese lion statue

Mary Gilmore Caffrey, Executive Director
16301 N. Rockwell
Edmond, Oklahoma 73013
405.330.4701 Office
405.330.5415 Fax

MCaffrey@thetreebank.org