A look back in time

For more than a century, two towering elm trees at the corner of Wing St. and Cady St. in Northville had stood the test of time, with their giant trunks soaring sky-high and branching out into leafy canopies that shaded the city park below. One was an American Elm and the other was an Augustine Ascending Elm, which was a rare hybrid. These magnificent trees had graced the community for generations, even surviving the devastating Dutch Elm Disease plague that wiped out millions of elm trees across the country starting in the early 1930’s and surging into the 1950’s through the 1970’s. Hundreds of beautiful elm trees in Northville fell victim to the epidemic. These two trees fought to survive, but eventually the aggressive infection won, and the American Elm was the first to wither and die. It had to be brought down a few years ago. The city’s heroic efforts to save the last remaining elm in the park with special treatments helped extend its life for a few more years, but eventually it also succumbed to the dreaded disease. That’s when Northville Tree Champions conceived a plan to honor the tree by preserving its trunk and transforming it into a work of art that pays tribute to the history of the community.

How the giant elm measures up

Before having to be taken down, the Augustine Ascending Elm was believed to be among the largest of its kind in the state of Michigan, towering some 110 feet high with a trunk that measures more than 12 feet in circumference! The trunk now stands about 21 feet tall and will likely be 10 to 15 feet tall after carving.