Continued from Page 1
originated in Asia, allowing
these varieties to build their
resistance to the disease, and
then spread to Western Europe.
Dutch elm disease first ap
peared in the United States in
Ohio in 1930. Commercial im
portation of infected elm wood
was blamed for bringing the
disease across the Atlantic
Ocean and giving it a strong
foothold in North America.
An often-cited example of
that foothold describes the
distribution of one shipload of
elm burl logs imported from
France for veneer in 1934.
The cargo entered the United
States at four separate points on
the East Coast. When an in
fected log was found in
Baltimore, the rest of the ship
ment was traced. The logs
already had been transported
13,000 miles on 16 railroads
through 21 states, apparently
touching down at unloading
points in at least seven. Elm
bark beetles, the primary carrier
of the disease, could have hat
ched anytime during the ship
ment, spreading Dutch elm
disease throughout the country.
Movement of infected elm
wood is blamed for spreading
the epidemic west of the Rocky
Mountains. Scientists were con
vinced that the beetles couldn't
get past the mountain range by
flying, but they didn't realize
people would transport beetle
laden wood to the West Coast.
The disease first appeared in
Oregon in 1973, when an in
fected tree was found in the
town of Union in northeast cor
ner of the state. By 1977 the
disease had spread to Portland.
Dutch elm disease probably
reached Eugene in late 1985,
but it wasn't until the spring of
1986 when trees began to
display symptoms. Hale said.
Hale's crew found 18 dead or
dying elms in the University
area. After lab tests confirmed
the trees were infected, all were
cut down.
Removal is the best way to
prevent spread of the disease
because it is more effective and
less expensive than using
chemicals, he said.
One study suggested if an in
fected tree is found soon
enough, before 5 percent of the
leaves wilt and turn brown,
heavy pruning may save the
tree. The key is to remove the
infected limbs before the infec
tion spreads, which happens
very quickly during the grow
ing season.
"Last year, 1 saw one dead
limb in an infected tree that had
a trunk two to three feet in
diameter.” Hale said. “Within
three weeks the tree was dead."
he said.
Hale said the city of Eugene
spent an average of $753 for
each of the diseased trees found
last year. The money was spent
on cutting down all the trees
and replacing some of them.
Lane County paid for hauling
the infected wood to area land
fills. said Hale.
Of the 18 trees losts to Dutch
elm disease last year, 14 were
replaced with red oaks. Hale
said. The city paid for replacing
13 trees that were in the public
right of way. The city replaced
one tree on privately owned
land, sharing the cost with the
landowner.
Hale said red oaks were used
as replacements because they
are big trees that would grow to
similar proportions of the elms
that were cut down.
The other alternative in con
trolling Dutch elm disease is the
use of chemicals. However.
Hale said chemicals are expen
sive and aren’t always effective.
"We considered running
some tests out by Hayward
Field. Hale said. “But we
couldn't justify spending
$12,000 to $13.000 on repeating
chemical tests that haven't
worked anywhere else." he
said.
There are more American
elms, about 70. in the three
block area west of Hayward
Field on the University campus
than anywhere else in Eugene.
Street
Continued from Page 1
opening while 70 favored the
change.
Still, a substantial minority
spoke in favor of the plan.
Steve Hammaker. a partner in
Skeie's |ewlers. said he believes
the closing of Willamette Street
in the early '70s was a mistake
that "choked off the heart of the
city."
Hammaker also commented
the re-opening of auto traffic on
Willamette Street between 10th
and 11th streets helped his
business a great deal
Larry Douglas, executive vice
president of the Eugene
C'hamber of Commerece. also
spoke in support of the pro
posal, claiming the re
introduction of traffic would
"attract and stimulate addi
tional businesses" along the
street.
Douglas expressed reserva
tions though because of the in
tense public debate "a final
decision does not seem to be in
order now."
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Ihe other 220 or so trees are
scattered throughout the city in
pockets of five to 10 trees.
Hale said he is also reluctant
to use chemicals in Eugene
because of the public outcry
that would probably result Peo
ple here are very aware of
chemical use in the city, he
said.
Chemicals are used in some
parts of the United States
though, both as injections into
infected trees, which doesn't
always work, and spraying to
control the elm bark beetle
population, the primary carrier
of Dutch elm disease.
Injecting chemicals into tresis
has never been effective in stop
ping the spread of the disease.
Some individual trees have
been saved with injections, but
the chemicals do nothing to
stop beetles from spreading the
disease.
The beetles transport fungal
spores of Dutch elm disease
when they feed on newly
sprouted limbs or lay eggs in
dead or dying elms. If the
beetles' feed or brood trees are
infected, fungal spores stick to
the beetles' legs anti are carried
to any other trees the beetles
visit.
If the beetles deposit the
spores beneath the bark of
American elms, the trees die
and become potential breeding
sites for more beetles
Hale said the key to stopping
the spread of Dutch elm disease
is controlling the beetle
population.
“Ust year we had three (bee
tle) hatches," Hale said "Most
other areas only have two. That
really hurt us." he said There
already has bean one batch this
year, and Hale said he expects
at least one more depending on
the weather.
Controlling the beetle popula
tion was the goal of early Dutch
elm disease eradication efforts,
and scientists rushed to find an
effective chemical to kill the
beetle and preserve the trees
They were successful, and
created an insecticide that
eradication leaders quickly em
bracer! as the miracle cure for
the epidemic.
The miracle insecticide was
dichlorodiphenyltrichloroetha
ne, lietter known as DDT. The
toxic effects from the
widespread use of DDT to con
trol elm Iwrk beetles in the
Eastern United States art' still
being felt.
Besides causing the extinc
tion of the eastern peregrine
falcon. DDT spraying also killed
millions of other birds. A 1961
study by the Uranbmok Institute
of Science in Michigan listed
hundreds of bird species kdled
as a result of DDT poisoning
The study also reported that fish
and aquatic invertebrates were
infected as well
More recent efforts to control
Dutch elm disease have focused
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on breeding hybrid elms resis
tant to the disease. Borrowing
the disease resistant qualities of
the Asiatic elm varieties, scien
tists say they have developed
more than 20 cross-bred elms to
replace American elms.
Scientists also say that
although older generations of
American elms fate certain
death from Dutch elm disease,
newer generations have lawn
sprouting up resistant to the
disease They anticipate that
future generations will even
tually evolve that will bo im
mune to the disease.
Hale, however, is concen
trating on saving the elms that
are in Kugene right now, but
there is little more he can do
than hope for the ties!
"The prognosis dttesn't look
good." Hale said "We've got
our fingers crossed."
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