As of: April 4, 2024, 8:00 p.m
By: Doris Schmid
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It could no longer be saved: forester Robert Nörr with the approximately 90-year-old mountain elm in the Wolfratshauser mountain forest that had to be felled. © Doris Schmid
Numerous mountain elms can be found in the Wolfratshauser mountain forest. But a fungus and a beetle are making life difficult for the trees.
Wolfratshausen – A chainsaw can be heard in the distance. Their rattling echoes through the mountain forest above the parish church of St. Andreas. And somehow that is typical of the type of tree that forester Robert Nörr is presenting to our newspaper today. It's about the wych elm, which is having a difficult time. Globalization is to blame for this.
“There are actually a lot of wych elms,” says Nörr as he points to a small group of delicate trees. “She rejuvenates very well. But when it has reached a certain dimension, the beetle comes,” reports the expert. Then things happen quickly: the trees become dry and die. In the Wolfratshauser mountain forest, the trees that pose a danger to houses or forest visitors fall victim to the chainsaw. Nörr: “We cut down around 20 elm trees every year. That’s extremely unfortunate.”
Ideal for steep slopes
In addition to the mountain elm, there are also the white elm and the field elm. According to Nörr, the latter are more at home in warmer areas. “The wych elm loves it moist.” It lives up to its name: it climbs mountains to a height of around 1,300 meters. “Cool, steep gorges are their specialty. It is ideal for steep slopes because it has huge roots that go very far in,” reports Nörr. It helps to stabilize the forest. “It has a really great, dark wood,” he enthuses.
Also read: From problem child to beacon of hope: The fir tree likes it cool and shady
However, the number of elm trees has been decreasing for years. Elm wilt is responsible for their disappearance from forests, avenues and parks - a disease caused by a fungus and transmitted by bark beetles. It was discovered in Holland in 1918. At that time the fungus was introduced from Asia. “It came into contact with the elm bark beetle,” reports Nörr. This type of bark beetle bores into the elm trees to lay its eggs, eats up a tunnel and lays eggs there. The larvae then hatch. “The beetle is not a big problem for the elm trees,” the forester says. “But it piggybacks on the fungus. It grows into the water channels of the elm and clogs the channels. The tree dries up.”
Aggressive form damages all elms
For a while it seemed as if the European elm had developed resistance. The tree species recovered, reports the expert. Elm wood was exported to America, “and then disaster struck.” The fungus, adapted in Asia, was virtually re-imported in the 1960s, in a more aggressive form. “It’s destroying all of our elm trees,” speculates Nörr. “The old ones and sometimes the younger ones too.”
The district forester stands in front of a particularly magnificent specimen not far from the Stations of the Cross. “Elm trees grow incredibly quickly. “This one is about 70 years old,” explains Nörr, who would have liked to present our newspaper with a very specific elm in the mountain forest – a little older and even bigger. She was released, looked after and cared for and was vital until last year. “Then the beetle found them and we had to cut them down for safety reasons,” Nörr regrets. He is certain: “Without globalization this would not have happened. We have probably lost this tree species. Just like the ash tree.”
series
What types of trees are there in the district? Where does the Most High stand? Which one is the fattest? What curiosities are there? With the help of the Office for Food, Agriculture and Forestry, we want to present special trees in our newspaper in a random order under the title “From root to crown”.
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Characteristics
Leaf: asymmetrical, edge double-serrated;
Bark: longitudinally furrowed;
Fruits: nuts arranged in clusters;
Root: very deep, intensive root system;
Height: maximum 35 meters;
Age limit: 400 years;
Occurrence in the district: occasionally on slopes, in stream valleys and in the mountains;
Wood properties: ring-pored, ripe wood yellowish brown, heartwood dark brown, heavy, durable and strong, long-fibered, difficult to split;
Wood price: very good qualities fetch several hundred euros per cubic meter.
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