Two more Elmy thoughts:

One reason there were so many Elms planted was that nurserymen love them. Elms grow fast, which means more units sold per year per acre, and with just a little patience, larger trees at higher prices. This market factor, which in the past contributed to the overplanting of Elms, may now be helping to get the new cultivars more widely grown.

Pardon the near pun, but I think triage is crucial. We can’t save every tree, and we can’t make every street tree-lined. Municipalities would benefit from street tree policies that put trees only where they can thrive. On streets with narrow sidewalks, that would mean fewer trees — possibly limited to “bulb-outs” where the sidewalk is widened, or to “weed trees” that receive a special regimen of inspection, pruning, and replacement to keep them in safe condition (i.e. not dropping limbs).

The Rose Kennedy Greenway Gardens in Boston is a case in point. The gardens were designed to cover three blocks, and were installed two years ago. They add a wonderfully refreshing flavor to the Central Artery Surface Corridor down at the edge of the Financial District, and are quite popular. For some reason, the Greenway Conservancy, which has been charged with the task of maintaining the Greenway — including these gardens — is working to tear them out and add more constructed amenities — more paving, an ice rink (what happens to that in non-icy months?). And now it’s up to the gardens’ affectionate constituencies, and perhaps their original designer, to advocate for their preservation. They’re really beautiful, and no more difficult to maintain than other parts of the Greenway, so advocating for them is easy. It remains to be seen if the private Conservancy will listen to the public will, though….