Great British Elms

The remarkable story of the iconic British elm and its return from the brink of extinction.

Since the 1970s, nearly all elms in the British Isles have proven to be susceptible to outbreaks of Dutch elm disease. Millions of trees were lost, and their new summer skeletal forms disfigure the countryside and townscapes quite dramatically. The beetles carrying the disease as fungus spores spread quickly, often advancing as far as the wind and temperatures allow. However, the elm has not been lost forever. Among all this sudden death and destruction, and unnoticed by many, some elms survived the onslaught. This is the story of their recovery.

The authors provide a first-person narrative with contributions from leading figures in the story of the elm, including Kew’s Tony Hall, Caroline Lucas, and Geraint Richards. Through these narratives, we learn about the efforts of those who have been intimately involved with the elm, often unnoticed and unappreciated. From conservationists working to propagate and plant new species of elm and find disease-resistant trees to specialist furniture makers utilizing the elm’s unique properties, this book provides a full picture of the British elm today.

This book also covers the history of the elm in culture, folklore, art, and literature, including the many different varieties of elm growing today in the British Isles. Illustrated throughout with stunning photography by Sam Ford, this book is a pictorial and historical record of the elm that offers hope for its future.

Mark Seddon is a journalist and a former foreign correspondent who has also worked for the United Nations as a speechwriter to UN Secretary-General, Ban ki-moon. He was editor of Tribune and UN and diplomatic correspondent for Al Jazeera. David Shreeve was born in Devon and created the Elms Across Europe campaign in 1979, and thanks to its success, co-founded The Conservation Foundation in 1982 with David Bellamy. Shreeve was an environmental adviser to the Church of England, following the Yews for the Millennium project, and was awarded a Lambeth degree in 2003. Shreeve was also awarded an MBE for services to the environment in the first King’s Birthday Honours in 2023.