Recently, although it's not the first time, some of the elm trees throughout Great Falls have shown signs of distress, indicating they may be in danger of dying.
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Gwendolyn Gunn, a Great Falls resident, said “I love the trees. It’s what really makes the park for me.”
Many of the elm trees throughout Great Falls are over-producing seeds; they do this in an effort to keep the species going, when they feel like they are dying.
“I think the city should have a policy; every tree that gets cut down, two more are planted, because we need as many trees as possible,” Gunn said.
Todd Seymanski, the city forester for Great Falls, explained “We did a good planting this spring, and then we sold a few more trees, so we’re going to do a planting again this fall.”
In addition to some new elm trees, Seymanski said they are planting a variety of trees including lindens, honey locusts, and hackberry trees.
The issue of Dutch Elm Disease killing trees in Great Falls is a recurring issue.
Seymanski said Dutch Elm Disease attracts beetles which then spread the disease throughout, killing the trees over time.
“Great Falls is pretty unique for Montana cities. We have this imported forest that started around the same time that the city started,” said Ashleigh McCann, the collections curator at the History Museum. “It wasn’t until 1987 that they first tracked [the disease] here in Great Falls. The elms were under threat and the city expected to lose all of its trees due to that.”
Instead, the city was able to save many of the trees and still has around 2,500 living elms throughout the city.
McCann showed a copy of an original receipt of Paris Gibson’s from when he founded Great Falls and purchased more than 30 elm trees to start the forest here in town.
The rooted history of the trees matters to many people throughout the community.
Gunn added, “Paris Gibson founded this town on the idea of parks everywhere, trees everywhere, and living in nature, and I think that’s super important.”
The community is encouraged to help save the trees by looking for the signs of Dutch Elm Disease and reporting it to the Great Falls Park and Recreation department.
