Popular Woodworking 2004-08 № 142, страница 71

of another group of beetles called powder post beetles. While emerald ash borers attack living trees, powder post beetles bore their way through wood products turning them into a powdery dust.

For woodworkers of the future, these two problems could mean a switch from ash to elm for projects that require tough woods.

Of course, elm isn't out of the woods yet. In Saskatchewan, Dutch elm disease is relatively new (it was first discovered attacking elms there in 1981). The Saskatchewan Dutch Elm Disease Association is fiercely fighting the disease by removing infected trees, promoting diversification and requiring woodworkers to obtain permits to use elm wood, says Sheri O'Shaughnessy, the association's executive director.

Then there's the Asian long-horned beetle, which was discovered attacking trees in 1996 in New York and in 1998 in Chicago. Although the beetle prefers maples, it also attacks horse chestnuts, willows and elms, says Dennis Haugen, an entomologist with the Forest Service.

The banded elm bark beetle was found last summer attacking elm trees in the western United States. It's too early to determine if Dutch elm disease-tolerant elms are tolerant to the banded elm bark beetle, too.

No one knows the effect these diseases ultimately will have on elm. But thousands of Dutch elm disease-tolerant elms have been planted and are thriving today.

How to Get it

Like the beautiful slab of bird's eye maple your neighbor got from a friend of a friend, the best way to buy American elm is to let it be known that you're looking and simply wait. None of the woodworkers interviewed for this article has worked with

Jim Slavicek, a plant geneticist with the U.S. Forest Service, stands next to a row of New Harmony elms at the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. National Arboretum research location in Delaware, Ohio.

Liberty, Princeton, New Harmony or Valley Forge elms because the trees are too young. Most woodworkers patiently wait for wild American elms that survived Dutch elm disease to reach maturity and naturally fall.

Weber, the chairmaker who lives in Paint Lick, Ky., keeps his eyes open for fallen elms while driving in cities. But when working with street trees, Weber says you constantly have to watch out for wire, nails and staples.

Weber's latest batch of elm came from the Kentucky's governor's mansion. There, an elm had to be removed because of damage done during an ice storm.

Wilson, the boxmaker, buys red elm more frequently than American elm. Red elm isn't affected by Dutch elm disease so it's plentiful in Michigan. He says he also prefers red elm's nut-brown color to elm's light tan.

If you don't have the patience to wait for lightning to strike (literally), you can check your local lumberyard, but good luck. Most don't carry it. But, as Dutch elm disease-tolerant cultivars continue to grow and mature (and

ash trees continue to fight for their lives), elms may once again become popular at the lumberyards and in the wood stacks - despite it being a challenge to work with.

Weber is fond of Raymond Tabor's book "Traditional Woodland Crafts" (Batsford). In it, Tabor writes, "Folklore characterizes elms as billowing timber trees whose wood is tough, resistant to the wedge, fit only for coffin boards. But use it young and green and you will find a lovely wood, versatile and easy to work with."

After finishing a set of elm seat blanks, Weber might not agree with the word "easy" in Tabor's passage. But, as the chairmaker shows off a large pile of American elm that was recently delivered to his shop, he points out its fine figure. Like most who frequently curse the wood while working it, Weber is quick to praise its strength and beauty.

Urbanites are already experiencing a renewed sense of appreciation for elms. And as our ash supply becomes questionable, it's just a matter of time before woodworkers embrace elms' virtues, too. PW

FOR MORE ELM INFORMATION:

■ Riveredge Farms: americanelm.com

■ The Botany Shop: botanyshop.com

■ Elmcare.com

■ Elm Research Institute: libertyelm.com

■ Saskatchewan Dutch Elm Disease Association: sdeda.ca

This Welsh-style Windsor chair built by chairmaker Don Weber features an elm seat.

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