The American elm has beautiful golden fall foliage this time of year. Its gracefully spreading branches and growth reaching 50 to 70 feet at maturity make it a very attractive street tree. The American elm used to be widely planted in American cities, but Dutch Elm Disease (DED) decimated much of the population. DED is a fungal infection spread by a bark beetle and has devastated elm populations across the globe.

The American elm is an important tree for American history and culture, so the introduction of DED to the United States was heartbreaking for tree lovers and Americans alike. One story of the American elm’s significance to American culture has its roots in Cambridge. An elm in Cambridge Common gained fame in the 1800s as the spot where George Washington took command of the Continental Army. Legend has it that General Washington drew his sword beneath the large branches of an elm in the northwest corner of the Common, later known as the Washington Elm. Oral tradition, guidebooks, and literature exaggerated and popularized the story, with a commemorative marker placed at the tree’s base. The tree fell in October 1923, and the police had to repel souvenir hunters. Hundreds of the Washington Elm’s fragments were distributed nationwide by order of the mayor. Thanks to the Washington Elm, the American elm is the state tree of Massachusetts.

Today, you still can see beautiful American elms, thanks to cultivars with resistance to DED and treatments for DED. On Hurley St in East Cambridge, you can look up at an impressively large American elm shading the street with its classic vase-like form.

Leaving fallen leaves in your garden, flower beds, and tree wells can be beneficial to the health of your yard, trees, other plants, and surrounding wildlife. A layer of leaves protects soil from erosion, provides habitat for insects and microbes in the soil, and protects bulbs, perennial plants, and tree roots from extreme temperature fluctuations. As the leaves decompose, they return nutrients to the soil. An insulating layer of leaves can help your lawn’s ecosystem when spring returns and your garden begins to bloom again.

On the other hand, be sure to clear leaves out of nearby street drains. If unaccounted for, leaves can easily clog drains, increasing the likelihood of floods on streets or your property.

Excess leaves should be bagged in yard waste bags for curbside pickup. Forest Friends can pick up two yard waste bags at the Public Works main office at 147 Hampshire St.

Learn more here.

We need your help to maintain a healthy, vibrant urban forest! Any Cambridge resident willing to regularly water the tree and provide some general care for the tree is welcome to become a Cambridge Urban Forest Friend.

How to Start

• Visit our interactive map.
•  Enter your address.
• Choose a tree by clicking on it. Then, fill out the form.