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AMERICAN ELM AT 200 BLOOR STREET EAST One of the oldest American elm trees in Toronto graces the corporate headquarters of Manulife Financial on Bloor Street, right in the centre of the city. Already large (25 feet) when planted in 1934, the tree is now a majestic giant that anchors the park-like setting of Manulife’s three-hectare grounds. This particular tree is more than stately. It’s also a hardy survivor, one that has managed, through attentive care and good luck, to avoid the fate of most other American elms, which have been ravaged by Dutch elm disease. American elms were planted extensively as street trees in the mid-20th century, but as much as 80 percent of Toronto’s elm trees have been lost to disease. The lesson is clear—diversity is the key to health in the urban forest. Photographs Copyright © Voncenzo Pietropaolo, 2007 Texts Copyright © Lorraine Johnson, 2007 Back To:
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