Rangers hope degraded streams and an endangered tree can help each other

ITHACA, N.Y., May 11 (UPI) -- By helping restore an degraded stream corridor, researchers in New York hope to bring back an iconic tree. And in bringing back an endangered native tree, researchers hope to restore a degraded riparian corridor.

Researchers say several streams in Finger Lakes National Forest and the ecosystems that surround them have become overrun by invasive plant species, leading to habitat degradation and diminished water quality. Meanwhile, the last several decades have seen the American elm tree, once an icon of old growth forests, disappear almost entirely -- destroyed by the fungal disease known as Dutch elm disease.

But researchers from the Forest Service's Northern Research Station have developed strains of the American elm that are resistant to Dutch elm disease. The strains have done well in urban settings in Ohio and Delaware, and ecologists are ready to test them in their natural habitat.

Researchers are teaming up with wildlife managers at Finger Lakes National Forest to plant the modern elm strains near the banks of streams that have already been fenced off and treated for invasive plants like multiflora rose and buckthorn.

"Research on National Forests yields results that can benefit woodland owners throughout the region," Jodie L. Vanselow, district ranger in Finger Lakes National Forest, said in a press release. "We are excited to work with the Northern Research Station on a project that we anticipate will enhance water quality on the Forest and perhaps demonstrate a method of restoration that applies to all forest owners, public and private."

Beginning May 11, researchers will begin planting various combinations of native plants, shrubs and trees (including the American elm) in four riparian areas. In the coming months, researcher will monitor the healh of the trees as well as soil nutrients and plant, insect and wildlife biodiversity.