S^^idc Tree ^a&<natonce4. 



on constant guard to preserve our trees 



By DAVID H. MARSDEN* 



ONE HUNDRED NINETY 

 thousand chips of wood 

 planted in more than 24,000 culture 

 dishes — this is what testing 8,000 

 elm specimens meant to the Shade 

 Tree Laboratories at the University 

 of Massachusetts in 1952. Testing 

 disease-suspect elms is a major serv- 

 ice of the laboratories — service 

 that is free to Massachusetts resi- 

 dents. The Labs are believed to be 

 the only state-supported laboratories 

 in the United States devoted to the 

 care of trees or the science of arbori- 

 culture. A testimony to the progres- 

 sive spirit of Massachusetts, the 

 laboratories are the result of a 

 growing realization of the value of 

 shade trees and the obvious need 

 for improved shade tree manage- 

 ment based on scientifically sound 

 and proved practices. 



Forty-six Year Record 



If we were to write a history of 

 the Shade Tree Laboratories, we 

 would look back forty-six years and 

 record the name of Dr. George E. 

 Stone, the first man in America to 

 give a comprehensive course on 

 shade tree care. His publication on 

 shade trees was a pioneer work of 

 high merit and wide acclaim. Later 

 in our history we would note that 

 the College served for several years 

 as headquarters for the Northeastern 

 Forest Experiment Station, a federal 

 unit concerned with shade and forest 

 tree problems. 



* Assistant Research Professor, Shade Tree Lab- 

 oratories 



With the deadly Dutch elm dis- 

 ease threatening to encroach on the 

 beautiful elms of the State, Profes- 

 sor A. Vincent Osmun. then head 

 of the Department of Botany, fully 

 appreciating the potential disaster, 

 took action by instituting a shade 

 tree disease laboratory in his de- 

 partment in 1935. That year Dr. 

 Malcolm A. McKenzie was ap- 

 pointed Plant Pathologist in charge 

 of shade tree research — a function 

 which he performs to this day. 



Within thirteen years it was neces- 

 sary to build a small wooden frame 

 structure to house the offices and 

 laboratories, and by 1950 the Shade 

 Tree Laboratories, with Dr. 

 McKenzie as director, began func- 

 tioning as an independent unit of 

 the Experiment Station with a 

 branch laboratory at the W'altham 

 Field Station. 



Many Problems to Be Solved 



The work of the Shade Free Lab- 

 oratories includes investigating shade 

 tree management problems and an- 

 swering hundreds of inquiries each 

 year concerning specific tree troubles. 

 During recent years investigations 

 have encompassed such common 

 problems as parasitic fungal diseases 

 of trees; injuries resulting from 

 floods, hail, wind, leaking gases, and 

 construction work; the proper selec- 

 tion of tree wound paints; the de- 

 terioration of wood products; con- 

 flicts between trees and overhead 

 wires; and the operation of tree 



