Mount Allison University plants specially engineered elms on campus - Action News
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New Brunswick

Mount Allison University plants specially engineered elms on campus

Mount Allison University is working to preserve and increase American elm trees on campus. The university is planting six specially engineered elms, designed to be resistant to Dutch elm disease.

Several mature elm trees lost to Dutch elm disease over the years

Tony Tomlik, Erin Coombs and Will O'Reilly are all part of the project at Mount Allison University to increase the number of American Elm trees on campus. They're also working to protect the mature elms that are left. (Kate Letterick/CBC News)

Three members of Mount Allison University's grounds crew are carefully checking a newly planted tree.

It's one of six American elms resistant to Dutch elm disease that are being planted around the campus in Sackville to help replace the loss of a number of mature elms.

"We selected proper sites for them to ensure that they're going to be able to grow to their full size and we've staked them because in Sackville we've got high winds here, to protect them against that," said Will O'Reilly, campus services supervisor.

"We've put in mulch and compost to make sure that they're well fed and get the roots in for the first couple years, it's very important."

WATCH|'They're like little babies': New elm trees planted at Mount Allison University

Mount A is working to preserve and increase American Elm trees on campus

2 years ago
Duration 2:45
The grounds crew at Mount Allison University is nurturing newly planted trees resistant to Dutch elm disease

Elm trees across the Maritime region were hit hard by Dutch elm disease, O'Reilly said. "And Mount Allison University, known for its grounds and greenery, has been no exception.

The new elm trees, from Nova Scotia's Pleasant Valley Nurseries, are specially grown to resist Dutch Elm disease.

Even though they're new to the campus, the trees have been "pre-grown" for severalyears.

The grounds crew checks on one of the new American Elm trees planted on campus at Mount Allison University. (Pierre Fournier/CBC News)

Tony Tomlik, a grounds crew member, said now that the trees are in the ground, he's hopeful they'll take to their new environment.

"We'll be monitoring them and watering them regularly, " Tomlik said.

"Just because they're in the ground doesn't mean we can walk away they're like little babies, children, so we have to take care of them and nurse them along the way."

One of the trees taken down because of Dutch Elm disease has a new life as part of a local art exhibition in Sackville. Artist Paul Griffin created "Elegy for an Elm", covering remnants of an American Elm in copper sheeting, that will slowly oxidize over time. (Kate Letterick/CBC News)

Erin Coombs, the lead hand on the grounds crew, saidthe next couple of years are key.

"You go through the first season and see if they survive the winter, like that's a big thing and try to keep them fertilized and watered for the first season or two, and then if they make it through that they should grow hopefully."

The three remaining mature elmson campus have been inoculated against the disease.

It's all part of the university's longtime landscaping policy.

"At Mount Allison, we have a policy that for every tree we lose, we try to replace it with three, so that's been helping a little bit with all the ones that we had to cut down," said Erin Coombs.

The grounds crew has also been working on a new project started in the winter. Trees and plants are being identified and catalogued as part of a tree inventory.

Mount Allison grounds crews have been working on an inventory of trees on the university campus. (Pierre Fournier/CBC News )

"So far I've identified over 700 trees on campus that have been planted at various stages since the campus began,and so we're trying to monitor the trees' health and wellness, select varieties that do well here and stop planting varieties that don't do well here," said Tony Tomlik.

Tomlik has found a few surprises, including magnolia, dogwood, tulip trees, along with Swiss stone pine, all species not common to the area.

Meanwhile, local eyes are on the newly planted elm trees.

"If they survive and thrive then, you know, it could be my grandchildren that could be enjoying them after I'm gone," Tomlik said. "Soit's fun to be part of the initial planting."