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Schmidt, Gene Letter re TreesMrs. Ann Michalski, Council Woman C/o Dubuque City Halt 13th & Central Ave. Dubuque, IA 52001 October 1, 2002 Re: The replacement of trees in Dubuque and environs. Dear Ann: The attached article printed in The Chicago Tribune Saturday Sept. 28th caught my eye when I noted the particular features of the "Accolade Elm" depicted in the article, (a unique hybrid), and wished you might champion their use under the auspices of Gil Spence. You and 1 must remember the beauty our original elms brought to this city. One cannot help but admire the fore- sight of our forefathers who had the vision of their maturity to benefit other generations. I would be pleased if your passed copies of the article to other members of the Council so that all could envision the planting of these trees on a planned annual systematic basis. No doubt few of us could savor the viewing of such trees, but our children and our children's children in fact very well could. They too, would compliment "their' forefathers for their foresight!! Bringing back the arboreal beauty that once graced this city with the majestic elm in the form of this new hybrid, which is resistant to Dutch Elm disease and elm yellows, is a goal we all should cherish an~t advocate to be a part of the "mix" of trees that grace our boulevards, parks and yards! Mr. Spence may already be aware of the Accolade. Be that as it may, I urge you (all) to consider this in the grand plan of landscaping our community. Certainly cognizance MUST be made of the "impressions" of tourists who will wish to return to our community alter the Americas River Proj. is up and running. Community leaders should urge all citizens to beautify their properties and the Parks Director should assist them with lists of plants, shrubs and flowers compatible with our climate and the landscaping improvements being already made. There is no reason why, in a few years Dubuque will be known far and wide as "the garden city of Eastern Iowa? Thankyou for your consideration. ugene F. Schmidt Citizen cc. To: Gil Spence Jerry Enzler SECTION 1 CHICAGO TRIBUNE SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2002 Park again may be realm of the elm I By Rudolph Bush Tribune staff reporter The beloved elms that once stood on the edges of Grant Park and formed a canopy over Lake Shore Drive took root again Fri- day, more than 30 years after Dutch elm disease decimated long rows of the majestic trees. In a stretch barren of trees for many years, the city began planting 200 elms in single rows on each side of Lake Shore Drive Friday. The Accolade elm, a hardy hy- brid of two Asian species, is ex: pected to resist the deadly dis- ease that cost many American neighborhoods, streets and parks thousands of their trees in the 1960s and '70s ~ Even now, Grant Park is known for its collection of more than 670 mature American ' elms, thought to be the largest stand in the country. "The original design of Grant Park was to have landscaped rooms which were lined with elm trees as the open air walls and their canopy forming the roof," said Bob O'Neill, presi- dent of the Grant Park Advisory Council. Park advocates and Chicago Park District officials have been working for years to bring the park s elm population close to 2,000, where it stood in its hey- day. In 1994, new elm plantings be- gan in Grant Park, and by the time the Park District is fin- ished about 700 trees will have been replaced. PLEASE SEE ELMS, PAGE 8 Tribune photo by Milbe~t O. Brown New elms, a disease-rasistant hybrid, line Lake Shore Drive at Grant Park. Elms wer~ a major part of the original park plan. ELMS: Species also resists :a 2nd, killer disease CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 "~ is really the fiaal bi~ wave, said Park District forest. er Brian Winiquetts, whose crew planted ~0 trees Friday. All ~00 should be in the ground by the middle of next week. - On the west side of the drive, the elms will run from Roose- velt Road to Monroe Street, and on the east side they have been planted from Monroe to Balbo Drive. From Balbo to the mu- seum campus, hackber~y trees stand. At the peak of the Dutch elm disease epidemic, the park was losing trees constantly, leaving once great towering rows look- ing like "they had lost teeth," O'Neill said. Even now the disease takes a toll, with 16 American elms re- moved from the park this sum. The new trees, cultivated:~ from a disease-resistant hybrid' that sprang up accidentally at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle 80 years ago, are 9 feet tall and 2.g inches thick. They are ex.~ pected to grow about a foot a year, until they reach 40 to 60~ feet, experts said. Not only win the trees revive Grant Park's original deal~n, they should make being in the park more enjoyable, O'Neill said. "They will help dilute the noise from the drive and help soften its [visual] impact," he said. "Most people do not realize what an incredible canopy win he created when the elm trees on the parkway mature." Mix of 2 Asian elms The Accolade eimsare a mix of a rare Chinese tree known as the Wilson elm and a more eom-/ mort Japanese elm~~ The result. ing tree looks much like the fa- mously lovely American elm. "The hybrid turned out to be a tree that closely resembles the American elm but has a beautid ~1 glossy leaf," said George Ware, a ~ expert at the Mor- ton Arboretum. Most impo~n~ though is the!r ~ t~e's ability to save itself from ~ Dutch elm disease, a ~ ~tr~ spreads through a tree,e micl~ t eeepic water tubules, _cutting ~ nouris~ent until it dies. Y Typically, the disease is the elm bark beetle · tree to tree, Dutch e~ wh~e~ ex~ believe c~e W ~e~ ~ veneer wood from Ho~d, ~o sprea~ ~ugh the ~oven ~t ~y~te~ of e~s ~t ~aw clo~e together. Th~ ~. ~e Ac~hde has ~ ~h~ a ~ait co~n to Asi~ b~ches ~te~ with ~e d~- b~es, W~e ~e Acco~de ~ ~so~re(m~t W e~ yellows, ~o~er aea~y &se~e ~at cle~ whole HeiSts d~ ~e ~ ~ to a v~, e~ yellows wor~ im ~Y ~o~ a W~'s ~e ~ees ~at soon wm ~e V~k,~em to ~ve come abont entffely by t~ ~d .~e ~t ~own Aecol~e e~ ~ ?0 f~t ~ ~u~ide an ~cat~n ~nier at the arbor~ t~, W~ sa~. 'Na~e crated i~," he "The ~ came ~om ~e Japa- nese e~, ~d ~e [~ese] W~- son e~ gave the pollen.' It ~w for ~o~ ~ ye~s wi~out much be~ ~o~ about it or m~Y ~qu~es berg made ~ffi W~e ~v~ at ~e ~bo~m ~ ~e la~ ~s and wondered~bout its ori~s. Sleuthing ~r ~ed origin so [ d~d some sleg~, ~e s~. ~e ~ ~e ~ f~ the Ao- ~e~ ~ ~e~e. st~d ga~er~ e~ugh ~- I~ ~d curtis to clone ~e ~ and began to test it as a ~ pla~ment for the ~erkan e~. "By ~e '~s it gaud aUen- tion ~caU~ it ~ned out ~e ~g ~ees we~ ~ bea~t~ , he s~d. He ~o fo~d ~es were espe- city h~ adapted well to ~e Chicago ~ate and ~ew eas* fly ~ ~erent ~fl conditions. "8omet~ na~e ~s a w~ of f~g ~, but ~ ~ case ~e ~ee looks to ~ve v~ good p~ ~ge W~iqueRe of ~e Park D~i~ b~eves the ~es phnt- ed ~o~ ~e Shoe Drive ~Y ~ow o~y to a heist of.~ f~t, W~e ~ ~ey ~d get siderably ~er, perh~s ~ feet. ~ and p~k love~ d~e ~midy hope so, bel~ ~e Acco~ elm ~d, enh~ce Gr~t p~k's mpu~flon as a worll reno~,~for e~s:.