Fahey McLane Elm

The oldest and largest tree on the Dartmouth campus, this American Elm rests between Fahey Hall and Russell Sage. Former Dartmouth College arborist Brian Beaty refers to it as one of the “remaining” elms on campus, referencing the Dutch Elm disease that passed through the college in the 1960s and 1970s.

Before the arrival of Dutch Elm disease, the life expectancy of an Elm was around 400 years. Tree planting is deeply rooted in Dartmouth culture, with the first Elms planted in 1844 by town folks and authorities, a task later on taken by the seniors of the 1868-1892 classes (College of a Thousand Elms by Professor Charles J. Lyon). The earliest letters warning against the incoming elm disease crisis were found to be written in 1913 (Letter from Leonard Ross to Professor Person) to the college. Fear quickly grew with 17 cases of diseased elms found in Vermont in 1948 (The Dartmouth Elms). New Hampshire arborists thought that the disease was carried over from Europe by bark chewing beetles. The disease spread quickly with beetles feeding on the bark of the tree and transmitting the fungus. Afterwards, the fungus spores hop from one tree to another, though transmission could also occur through intertwined root systems. Hanover eventually experienced a mass tree loss in 1956 with 80 elms plagued by the disease, 40 of which were removed (80 Local Ems Felled by Disease). At first, Hanover used DDT (a popular agricultural insect repellent) as an early preventative tactic in removing the beetles that carried the dutch elm disease, but after studies finding the negative effects it had on local fauna and flora along with its relatively inefficiency against said beetles, Hanover announced DDT use to be discontinued in 1963 (Discontinuation of DDT in fighting Dutch Elm Disease). The discontinuation of its use in fighting the Dutch Elm disease meant the town of Hanover had to quickly improvise new solutions against the treedemic. In 1964, Dartmouth adopted a tactic used by Princeton University to preserve the prized Dartmouth Elms (Tree Feeding Experiment may be an Answer to Elm Disease Problem), which involved pumping the tree with fungicide. However, it was unclear if the tactic just made the fungus dormant or if it truly healed the tree. Even with this method in use, cases of the disease only continued to rise. 

It was not until 1983 that Dartmouth arborists would find a path to stem the treedemic, when New-Hampshire-based research found a way to vaccinate trees against Dutch Elm disease (A Farewell to Elms may not be Forever (1984). Through injections of the disease and crossbreeding, a third generation of elms were made to be disease-resistant, and the new tree was dubbed the Liberty Elm. Community-driven projects quickly organized the planting of several Liberty Elms in Hanover, with around 50 being planted in 2003 (Putting Elms Back on Streets, Valley News(2003)). 

Surviving from before the onslaught of Dutch Elm disease, Fahey McLane’s elm stands in contrast to the liberty elms, standing far taller and faulting its age. West House (one of Dartmouth’s housing communities) has adopted the American Elm as its seal, which continues the Elm’s contribution to culture and a history of arboreal resilience in the Dartmouth community. 

A Farewell to Elms May Not be Forever, 1984.

Discontinuation of DDT in Fighting Dutch Elm Disease, 1963.

Letter from Leonard Ross to Professor Person, 1913.

​​Lyon, Charles J. College of a Thousand Elms. Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. June 1st 1937.

Putting Elms Back on Streets, Valley News, 2003.

The Dartmouth Elms, 1948.

“Tree Feeding Experiment May Be An Answer to Elm Disease Problem”, undated

80 Local Elms Felled by Disease, 1956