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What's New at SAVE OUR ELMS


Ladd's Addition Hit Hard by DED this year

The unpleasant sounds of chain saws and wood chippers were heard almost daily here in Ladd's Addition as seventeen of our mature historic American elms were removed having tested positive for Dutch elm disease (DED). The disease continued to spread on SE Lavender St. between Tamarack and Ladd Avenues and has turned both corners onto Ladd Ave. also 2 trees were removed at the intersection of SE Cypress and Hemlock Streets. DED has also continued through the elms near the Abernethy Playground on SE Birch St. and SE Elliott Ave. These areas have been Hot Spots of DED for several years.

In an effort to stop the spread of DED in the impacted areas, Save Our Elms inoculated five trees using a more complex and expensive macro infusion process (as compared to our standard annual inoculation process). Using pumps and large tanks, these trees were injected with Arbortect fungicide. Our hope is that this “mega dose” will increase the elm's resistance to DED and create a barrier against its spread down the row.

The cost for this operation was over $1,800 using volunteer labor and in-kind donations. We want to thank Terry Brier with Davey-Organicare (arborist) for the in-kind donation that subsidized a portion of the costs for the materials and labor needed to treat these trees; Urban Forestry for the loan of pumps, tanks and hoses and many thanks to the SOE Volunteers who came out with picks, shovels and hoes to expose the elms’ root flares, help set up the equipment and “baby sit” the trees during the injection process.


Save Our Elms 15th Anniversary - May 1, 2010

Yes, SAVE OUR ELMS has been helping preserve and expand our urban canopy for 15 years. Where does the time go?? Donors and volunteers (past and present) gathered at the Lucky Labrador Pub on Hawthorne to mark the occasion.


New SOE On-line Newsletter

Would you like to receive the NEW Quarterly Newsletter via email?? Well just say so!!
Send an email to: newsletter@saveourelms.org and put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

Two Great Articles about Save Our Elms, Ladd's Addition

Here are links to two articles in the December 24, 2009 Oregonian newspaper. The first is about Save Our Elms and our volunteer work through out Portland. The second article is about Ladd's Addition being named one of the 10 best neighborhoods in the US for 2009.

Passionate About American Elms

Ladd's Top 10 Neighborhood


Mowrey Mannor-Ladd's Addition 2009 "Restoration Celebration" Gala a Great Success!!

Our thanks go to Tom and Karla Nutt for opening their home for this successful fund raising event. Their newly restored 1909 Colonial Revival home was the center piece of the evening. Two Hundred guests toured the house, enjoyed fine local food, graciously donated by Castagna Restaurant, regional wine, from Seufert Winery, local beer from Hopworks and music by Mark Casperson's 5-Tet and John Gilmore. We learned about William S. Ladd's influence on Portland and the history of Ladd's Addition with a presentation by urban planner and local historian, Richard Ross.

We raised the $9,000.00+ needed to inoculate the mature American Elms against Dutch Elm Disease. To provide and replant trees along our streets and avenues for free in accordance with historic guidelines. To help property owners maintain their street trees with programs like the Pruning Initiative.

Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers who helped plan and realize this memorable event.

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2009 Ladd's Addition Tree Planting

It Takes A Community To Plant A Tree

Annually Save Our Elms volunteers planted new street trees in Ladd's Addition. In 2009 This included 6 new Accolade Elms to replace the elms lost to Dutch Elm Disease on Lavender St.

Lavender_01

Lavender_02
Lavender_03

Save Our Elms worked with Multnomah County Services, who's crew dug all the holes; and Friends of Trees, who purchased all the trees using grant money from the City of Portland.

The volunteers planted 11 Accolade Elms, 5 Emerald Queen Maples, 2 Pacific Sunset Maples, 3 Katsuras and 4 Birch trees. All in accordance with the historic street tree plan.

Thank you to SOE Board Member Toby Deming who organized the event; Rand Benfit, owner of Palio's Dessert & Espresso, who provided volunteers with coffee and breakfast goodies to start their morning.

An extra special Thank You to Ladd's neighbor Lou Miles. He canvassed the neighborhood, tromping through snow and ice and freezing temperatures, to find people who wanted these new trees.

We did the work.
Now it's up to you.

Don't forget to water your new
trees this summer!!


2008 Fall Historic Home Tour A Great Success

The trees put on their best fall colors, the weather was perfect, and over two hundred people bought tickets to visit the homes on this years tour.

To the Home Tour Committee; Jill Gifford (chair), Karen Girard, Katrina Bell, Ellen Metz and Karen Farley, the home owners who opened their homes to the public, the neighborhood businesses who support our efforts; especially Hankin's TrueValue Hardware and Palio Desert & Espresso (for handling the pre-event ticket sales) and Artemis Cafe, and the SOE Board, here's a hardy pat on the back for a job well done.

This was SAVE OUR ELMS major fund raising event in 2008 and your donations were used to maintain the health of the mature American Elms planted along the streets of Ladd's Addition.

We had ten residences on the tour this year and between ticket & souvenir sales and membership donations we brought in over $3,200.00.

We still have some SAVE OUR ELMS souvenirs left so if you are interested in purchasing something email Karen Farley at kfarely@saveourelms.org for details.

  • $ 10.00 - Ladd's Addition Map. Reproduction of Ladd's Properties sales map dated May,1922.
  • $ 5.00 - Ladd's Addition Glass 8 oz. Coffee Mug.
  • $ 5.00 - Save Our Elms Etched Wine Glass

Dutch Elm Disease Hits Lavender Street IN 2008

The removal of six mature elm trees on Lavender Street represents the worst single season loss to Dutch Elm Disease since the fungus first appeared in Ladd's Addition in the early 1990s.

A nest of Elm Bark Beetles was discovered in the crown of one tree in March, 2008. After positive testing for Dutch Elm Disease, that tree was removed. Later in the spring a second and third tree were showing signs of Dutch Elm Disease. They too tested positive. Visual inspection of the remaining trees on the North side of Lavender revealed that the fungus had likely spread via root grafting. In order to

prevent the fungus from spreading to trees on Ladd Avenue, the City Forester determined that all of the trees that were showing signs of Dutch Elm Disease (Flagging, browning and curling leaves) should be quickly removed.

SAVE OUR ELMS inoculated several trees in the vicinity of the loss with a macro-infusion process of a fungicide called Arbortect(tm). This process differs from the regular inoculations that have been used in Ladd's Addition for 12 years. Macro-infusion must be performed by a licensed pesticide applicator. The market cost per tree for macro-infusion is over $800. SAVE OUR ELMS invested nearly $500 per tree in hope of stopping the spread of Dutch Elm Disease. Davey-Organicare donated significant in-kind support to this project. Their arborist provided the labor to install the injectors, calculation and mix the appropriate amount of fungicide for each tree and supervised a core group of volunteers who prepared the elms for the macro-infusion process. The City of Portland contributed equipment, technical advice and also performed the tree removal - a job that would have cost the homeowners in excess of $20,000.

THESE TREES WERE INOCULATED - WHY DID THEY STILL DIE?: The inoculation process is designed to slow the spread of Dutch Elm Disease. There is no known technology that is 100% effective. In Ladd's Addition, we lose on average less than two percent of the grove to Dutch Elm Disease each year. This compares favorable to urban elm management programs throughout the country.

WHAT ELSE CAN BE DONE?: SAVE OUR ELMS will continue to inoculate trees on a schedule that can be supported by community contributions. As important as inoculation is, regular professional maintenance and pruning is also required to prevent the spread of Dutch Elm Disease by the Elm Bark Beetle. A pruning program subsidized by SAVE OUR ELMS and the Bureau of Environmental Services Is available to homeowners during the winter dormant season. We urge homeowners to take advantage of this program to remove dead wood from the canopy.

WILL LAVENDER STREET BE RE-PLANTED?: In March, these trees will be replaced with disease-resistant elm trees so that our children will enjoy the majestic elm grove as we have known it.

HOW ELSE CAN I HELP?

  1. Keep your Elm trees pruned.
  2. Never store elm wood for firewood or other uses.
  3. Find out more about Dutch Elm Disease by visiting www.saveourelms.org
  4. Volunteer to help!
  5. Send a generous contribution to:
    SAVE OUR ELMS, 1630 SE ELLIOTT AVE. PORTLAND, OREGON 97214

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Last Year for BES Grant Monies

SAVE OUR ELMS is now into the third and final year of the $33,000 grant from the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services in 2007. It is a matching grant available to homeowners to help defray costs of tree pruning IN LADD'S ADDITION ONLY. These funds are part of the East Side "Big Pipe" CSO sewer project construction impact mitigation. SAVE OUR ELMS and BES will pay one half of the cost for sanitation and code-compliance pruning for street elm trees according to the pricing schedule, and will pay a fixed subsidy for other species (on street frontage) in Ladd's Addition.

So take advantage of this grant dollars while they are still available.

For more information you can contact :
Dave Kaplan
email: pruning@saveourelms.org

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Street Tree Pruning Initiative - Fall/Winter 2009

Keeping our elm trees properly pruned is as important as inoculations and SAVE OUR ELMS is partnering with Treecology, Inc. to begin another pruning project in Ladd's Addition this dormant season. We solicited bids from qualified arborists and Treecology Inc. came in with the best group pricing.

SAVE OUR ELMS is able this year to extend a pricing discount with Treecology Inc. on sanitation pruning to all the street trees in Ladd's Addition

Details of the Ladd's Addition pruning program are finalized and you will see information on your doorknob very soon, or click on the link below to view a PDF of the flyer.

If you are interested in having your street tree pruned this winter, please send an email to : purning@saveourelms.org .

Learn more about Treecology, Inc.. Visit their web site: www.treecololgy.com.

Pruning Article Page 3 - Click to Open PDF


Slide show of Ladd's Addition July 4th Parade 2008

For all of you who were out of town on the fourth here's a brief slide show of what you missed.


2008 Inoculations

Thank Yous go out to all the neighborhood volunteers who showed up bright and early Saturday morning to inoculate 77 American Elms. Little did we know that it would turn out to be the hottest June 28th on record with temperatures reaching 103 degrees by late afternoon.

The day started with everyone gathering in Palio's "Elm Room" for coffee, pastries and fruit' which was provided by owner and neighborhood supporter Rand Benfit. After a brief Annual Meeting and Election of Officers everyone broke up into 2-3 person crews and headed down the street.

All the crews were done by noon and returned to the Circle to enjoy their lunch while sitting in the shade of our elms.

Thanks to Board Member, Jill Gifford for organizing the volunteers lunch, and to Susan Bashel and Pastini Pastaria's staff who generously donated all those delicious sandwiches.

Thanks to those hearty individuals who came out at the peak of the heat to pick up the empty injectors and recycle the cardboard boxes.

And finally a thank you to Toby, Dave and Richard who once again handled all the planning for the SAVE OUR ELMS annual inoculation. It was a great success!

Hope to see everyone back next year!!

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2007 Spring Home Tour Summary

Thank-you to everyone who helped make this years Home Tour such a great success. The Rhodies and Azaleas bloomed on time, the weather was perfect, and over two hundred people bought tickets to visit the twelve residences on this years tour. Between ticket & souvenir sales and membership donations we brought in over $3,400.00.

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Inoculation Day Slide Show

2006 Slide Show

Here are photos taken during the annual SAVE OUR ELMS inoculation event in Ladd's Addition. On the morning of June 24th the volunteers gathered for orientation and instructions. They then set out to inoculate the 88 American elm street trees scheduled for 2006. Done by 11:30 AM they headed back for lunch.

The elms were very cooperative and took up the fungicide by days end. Most had absorbed the inoculant from their first injectors even before their last injector was set.

Thank Yous go out to all the volunteers who helped make this years event so successful, to Jon Farley for all the great photos; and to the local neighborhood businesses who provided food, tools, people power and dollars.

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2006 Home Tour Report

The Board sends their heart felt Thanks to all the families who opened their homes on Mother's Day and to all the volunteers who helped organize and run the event.

It was such a beautiful day to stroll the neighborhood and we hope that everyone had a good time. We had thirteen homes on the tour this year and between ticket & souvenir sales and membership donations we brought in over $1,750.00.

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2005 Treasurers Report

Here is a link to view a PDF of the 2005 Treasurers Report.

Use your browsers back button to return to this page.

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Ladd's Hit Hard by DED
SOE 15th Anniversary
Newsletter Sign Up
Oregonian Articles
2009 Gala Event
2009 Tree Planting
2008 Home Tour Report
DED Hits Lavender
SOE Recipient of BES Grant
Ladd's Tree Pruning Initiative
Slide Show
2008 July 4th Parade
2008 Inoculations
2007 Home Tour Report
Slide Show
2006 Inoculation
2006 Home Tour Report
2005 Treasurers Report