SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Tree Foundation is enlisting "community scientists" to help protect some of the largest and most historic trees in the "City of Trees."
Elm trees offer shade and other health benefits, but are threatened by the fatal Dutch elm disease, a fungal infection that quickly spreads by bugs or through roots. With its Save the Elms program, the foundation trains neighbors to watch out for signs of the disease, then report any concerns using an app.
"It's as simple as taking a walk down the street and taking a look at the trees around you to see if there’s any visible symptoms, and then submitting a simple form on your phone," said Sacramento Tree Foundation Communications and Engagement Manager Stephanie Robinson.
Planted around the turn of the century, various elm species help define the Sacramento tree canopy. In some locations, elms tower over other trees with branches reaching more than 100 feet in the air.
"But in 1990, Dutch elm disease made its way to Sacramento," Robinson said. "The leaves, they first wilt and curl, they have a droop to them, they turn yellow and eventually die."
Robinson said there were once more than 25,000 elms in the city. Today, there are fewer than 2,000, many of the elms are dying of old age, removed for development or killed off by Dutch elm disease.
Although there are a number of expensive treatments, there is no cure. The only realistic solution to stop the spread of the disease is to cut down infected trees.
"We're like, according to our training, these trees don't look good," said volunteer Chris Smith, who identified several diseased elm trees near Marshall School in Midtown Sacramento.
"Just take a picture of the trees with our cellphone and then enter them into the app to alert the city that we’re concerned," he added.
Weeks later, the affected trees were removed, punching a hole in the neighborhood tree canopy but hopefully protecting other nearby elms.
According to Robinson, the tree replacing it will likely never reach the size of the original tree, making the remaining heritage elm trees that much more precious.
"So much of our history has been witnessed by these elms," Robinson said. "So, it'd also be terribly sad to lose them for that reason."
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