Under the Elms and by the Sea

THE MAIN CAMPUS OF MMA lies within the historic seafaring town of Castine, with many stately old buildings, a beautiful and bustling harbor, and, impressively, hundreds of magnificent American elm trees lining its streets and waterfront. Castine is one of the few towns in the country where a large number of elm trees survive, many of which are over 150 years old.

Together with the town of Castine, MMA is working hard to preserve and maintain this impressive canopy of historic elm trees as a truly unique feature of the town and the campus, and as a living reminder of the maritime past, in the face of growing threats to the health of these trees.

Prized for their towering height and graceful, upswept shape, the American elm became a symbol of liberty in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War. When Castine became a thriving global seaport in the mid-1800’s, its sea captains, ship builders, and others in the maritime trades planted many of the elms that we see throughout the village today.

Just a few of MMA’s historic, and newly planted, elms that tower over the campus near Dismukes Hall .

Sadly, in recent decades, Dutch Elm Disease has swept the country, killing an estimated 77 million elm trees nationwide. Castine has not been immune. But Castine benefited from early research at the University of Maine in Orono, which developed a protective serum injected into some of our local trees early on. And the town responded to this threat by establishing, in 2009, a town Tree Committee, which works with the town’s Tree Warden and the town’s Arborist to manage the historic tree canopy.

Together with the town of Castine, MMA is working hard to preserve and maintain this impressive canopy of historic elm trees.

From the start, MMA has actively participated on the town’s Tree Committee. With expert help from the town’s Arborist, the Committee has overseen a detailed inventory of the elms both in town and on campus, instituted regular inoculation of approximately 75 significant elms with fungicide to prevent disease, and supervised the pruning and, where necessary, the removal of diseased trees.

While Castine is distinguished nationwide for the number of historic elms that it has preserved, the town and the MMA campus, like nearby communities, are experiencing a resurgence of Dutch Elm Disease. Several magnificent elms have been lost, including some on MMA’s campus and others near the athletic field. Additional threats to these historic trees include new forms of pestilence invading the state, construction impacts, and losses due to drought or storms.

Given inevitable losses, these collaborative town-MMA efforts have involved the re-planting of new species of disease resistant elm trees. Recently, the MMA campus has seen re-planting of hybrid elm species near Dismukes Hall, the founding building of the MMA (formerly the Eastern State Normal School, built in 1873).

This work is supported by annual appropriations from the town’s budget, private donations to the town’s tree fund, preservation efforts by property owners, and significant work by MMA to maintain the tree canopy on its own campus. It is truly a team effort.

Today, MMA has approximately 50 thriving elm trees providing shade and majestic beauty to its campus, among 250 American elms within the town as a whole. Castine is beloved as a historic seafaring town “under the elms and by the sea.”

The elms are living and powerful symbols of resiliency and strength for the next generation of Mariners at the MMA.█
Photos By: Tate Yoder, Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries

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