Year 9 student brings attention to city’s elms

The tree has towered above the neighbourhood for more than 100 years. But Ethan and his father noted while out on a walk that while the smaller trees around it were sprouting new leaves, the elm appeared barren. Tantram went home to get his drone to survey the tree’s upper branches, and they were no better. When in full bloom, the tree reportedly covered five local houses, keeping them cool in the summer months. 

“It’s one of the biggest elm trees in Toronto, and it’s meant a lot,” Ethan says. “Everyone around the neighborhood knows that tree, and it was sad when it got sick.”

He didn’t sit idly by. He and his dad reached out to the University of Toronto, and Eric Davies, a forest ecologist in the school’s forestry program, came by with two of his students to investigate.  

A City of Toronto inspector determined the tree was dying and had to come down in the interest of public safety. 

In June, the City issued a statement to CBC — which covered the story — that read: “The tree was observed with a thinning crown and yellowing leaves in late summer 2024. Removing the tree will prevent it from becoming a hazard, as dead branches are more prone to breakage.”

Although Ethan was disappointed with the decision, he acknowledges that the beloved elm “could have been dangerous, and there wasn’t much they could do for it anymore.”

So the large tree came down in June. The nature of its ailment has not been confirmed by the City, although it could be the widespread Dutch Elm Disease.  

“It took five days to cut down the entire thing,” Ethan says. 

Local artist Jode Roberts created a plaque at the site commemorating the “enormous elm tree.” 

Meanwhile, Davies and his students didn’t want this arboreal marvel to go to waste. The Weller Tree Service, which executed the removal, gave the City some cuttings, which it passed on to Davies. He processed and planted more than 100 of them, the idea being that when the trees matured, they would be moved to suitable city parks and ravines. 

But, Ethan explains, Davies informed him that “things didn’t go as well as planned, because the tree was already so sick that the cuttings weren’t able to grow.”

  

Davies and his students have pressed on, mapping the city’s most durable native tree species, including elms, which have become overrun by invasive species. This week, they donated 100 litres of native tree seeds collected from old-growth trees to the city’s Tree Seed Diversity Program.

Ethan hopes to participate in the future. He adds that his preferred area of study right now is science, and after helping draw academic and media attention to the plight of the elm, he’s open to getting more involved in forestry.