Turning Tree Tragedy into Triumph

By Jimmy Robertson

For more than 100 years, a sprawling, majestic elm tree resided on the small hill that serves as part of the Upper Quad of Virginia Tech’s campus.

Over the years, it provided desperately desired shade for students on sultry afternoons, particularly for cadets who, until the past decade, lived in Rasche Hall and Brodie Hall, two residence halls without air conditioning. For years, it offered a cool place for lunch, a resting stop from academic studies, and a solitary spot for courting sweethearts.

Many watched the setting sun shimmer through its long, twisting branches, and in the fall, admired its beautiful golden and orange leaves, ones that eventually carpeted the well-manicured lawn surrounding it.

“That tree saw a lot,” admitted Commander Nate Brown ’98, the alumni director for the Corps. “If that tree could talk, it would have an amazing story to tell.”

Unfortunately, though, the Rasche elm tree, as many knew it, is no more. In August, Jamie King, the urban forest manager and university arborist, and a group of researchers and scientists made the agonizing decision to take down the tree after its lengthy battle with Dutch elm disease — a non-native fungus transmitted by a beetle that prevents the steady flow of water from the roots to the leaves. The affliction is common and plaguing elm trees across the United States.

The decision to end the life of the campus’ largest tree and one that predates the founding of Virginia Tech, and quite possibly, the Civil War, was heartbreaking, according to King.

“I felt personal failure that we weren’t able to save it,” King said. “I don’t think we could have done anything else. Sharing the news was a disappointment. It still hurts.”

To understand Virginia Tech’s commitment to its trees, one only needs to consider the efforts put in to saving the Rasche elm.

Not long after being hired in 2019, King, who graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in natural resources and conservation and a minor in urban forestry, noticed some structural issues with the tree. The following year, they had the tree pruned and collected a sample. A local lab revealed that the tree had bacterial leaf scorch, a disease that causes leaves to turn brown prematurely each year. 

Over the next three years, the urban forestry team and researchers monitored the tree. The team oversaw pruning efforts, and injected the tree with a fungicide.

But they continued to notice problems. They tested the mulch around the base of the tree for possible toxins and made plans to install cables to help with the structure problem. They also started irrigating.

Finally, this past spring, King noticed additional wilting of branches and curling of leaves. He made a cut in the tree and saw staining in the wood – a sign of Dutch elm disease. A lab confirmed the diagnosis.

Dutch elm disease is the human equivalent of clogged arteries. By the end of the summer, the fungus had spread so much that it left little alternative.

“At the end of the day, this is science,” King said. “I’m a scientist, and we don’t make rash decisions.

“We took extra measures with that tree because it was worth it. Generally, when I present the evidence to any stakeholder, they understand. They may be disappointed, and I’m disappointed, but at the end of the day, it’s a scientific decision, and it’s hard to argue with that.”

In all, more than two dozen people have been involved with the tree-saving effort in some capacity over the past three years.

On a perfect late November day, at various spots on the Upper Quad, 14 trees were planted, including six Jefferson elm trees, five Eastern hophornbeams, and three hickory trees. After discussions with researchers from Washington, D.C., King chose the Jefferson elm, a disease-resistant species with a sturdy structure currently thriving on the National Mall in the nation’s capitol.

Three elms were planted on each side of the Addison Caldwell statue that sits on the steps that lead from the Alumni Mall area to Pearson Hall East and Pearson Hall West. The Rasche elm used to be to the right of that statue.

Many longtime Corps alumni, along with students and faculty members, will miss that magnificent elm and all it represented. But fond memories always will remain while the new grove of elms matures in its place and offers the opportunity for memories for coming generations.

“I think students will appreciate what we’re doing, along with faculty and staff, alums, and our local community,” Brown said. “I think it’ll make a lot of people happy to see new trees, and we’re not planting random trees. We’re planting trees that will thrive in this location and are natural to this area.

“We had Herculean efforts to save the Rasche elm, but it had basically come to the end of its healthy life. Now it’s a matter of honoring it and talking about the history, the years of shade it provided and the beauty it contributed to the Upper Quad. And we’re preserving its legacy by planting other like trees for future generations, and we’re hoping they’ll last for the next 150 years.”

This is an excerpt from a story that originally appeared in VT News. Read the full story here.