Arborists Spearhead Effort to Preserve Rare Trees

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Most visitors to Central Park are familiar with the Mall—a lush, nature-filled stroll with plenty of benches located near 66th Street—but few have given thought to the health of the beautiful overarching American elm trees that line the scene. The good news is that even if you haven’t thought about the health of these curvy, overarching trees, there’s a whole team of Central Park Conservancy arborists who have made it their mission to do so. They’ve also figured out a way that each and every visitor can contribute to keeping these trees healthy.

The Park’s current collection of about 1,600 American elm trees is impressive, but far below its peak. Sadly, a century of Dutch elm disease has eradicated many of the American elms that once flourished in Central Park. Today, the Central Park Conservancy’s dedicated arborists keep a watchful eye on the remaining American elms in the Park, working diligently to spot signs of infection before it’s too late and prevent other trees from becoming infected.

Dutch elm disease is caused by fungi-carrying elm bark beetles, which like to burrow into the lush canopies of the American elm trees. Once a tree is infected, it’s also possible for it to spread it to other trees through the root system. It’s easy to see how this could happen with the American elm trees in Central Park. Visitors will notice that the striking beauty of the Mall comes partially from the fact that the trees are planted very close together. Unfortunately, this makes these majestic trees more susceptible to Dutch elm disease since their roots can become intertwined.

The battle to preserve the Park’s American elms starts with Central Park Conservancy’s arborists, who search for telltale signs of infection in the tree canopies. If they spot a single wilted or yellowing branch amid an otherwise green and vibrant canopy, they will climb or use an aerial lift truck to examine it. Then, they’ll peel back the bark on the branch to look for the disease’s signature bluish-black streaks. If they find them, they have to move quickly to keep the disease from spreading to the main trunk. Time is of the essence, as it’s entirely possible for the tree to become irrecoverable within a week.

The Central Park Conservancy’s determined team of arborists also prevents the spread of the disease by injecting a fungicide into the root flares of the elm trees. This practice, which began in 2016 after the Mall underwent a significant loss of trees to disease, is now carried out for about 600 of the Park’s trees every two to three years.

Another method of preserving and saving trees in Central Park is to plant “hybrid trees,” which can be more resistant to Dutch elm disease. Visitors to the Park can spot some of the elm hybrids lining the Park’s East Meadow and even in one of the groves along the Mall.

While the role that the Conservancy arborists play is essential in keeping the Park’s elms healthy, visitors to the Park also have a crucial part to play. Luckily, most will find it easy: Simply stay in designated areas. Treading over the roots of the elm trees leads to soil compaction, which can damage the trees’ root systems and ultimately kill the trees. It’s actually happened to not one, but two collections of elm trees planted along the Mall. When the third and current collection was planted in the 1920s, arborists set up fencing to ensure fewer people walked directly under the elms and damaged their root systems.

While it might be tempting to hop over a barrier for what seems to be the perfect picnic spot, it’s essential to the trees’ health that visitors stay within designated areas. Luckily, with 843 acres to explore, there’s sure to be another perfect picnic spot just waiting to be discovered.

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