After more than 100 years of gracing the Penn State campus, the landmark American elm trees are threatened by elm yellows disease, with more than 50 trees infected including 17 that have died. Now, the Penn State elms are living on through the recently launched Penn State Elms Collection, a distinctive line of furniture and frames.
The Penn State Elms Collection is an exclusive line of hand-crafted furniture and frames that initially includes a desk, console table, glass-display cabinet, mirror, diploma frames and art frames made from the American elms that once graced the University Park campus.
A portion of the proceeds from The Penn State Elms Collection will go toward planting replacement trees in the historic core of the University Park campus. The elms will be replaced with several different species of trees that have a higher known disease resistance while still offering the majestic canopies associated with elms.
A description and more information about each elm product is available at www.pennstateelmscollection.com.
So far, more than 15 percent of the 287 majestic elms have been infected with elm yellows disease, which currently has no known cure. The bacteria-like organism infects the root cells and the inner bark that carries nutrients to all parts of the tree, but does not invade the core of the tree, leaving the elm wood unaffected. The good news is that University officials recently announced that the elm yellows disease may be isolated. More information on the elms’ plight is available at www.elmyellows.psu.edu.
The Penn State Elms Collection is a partnership between the Penn State Alumni Association and Penn State’s Office of Physical Plant. To view the Penn State Elms Collection, visit www.pennstateelmscollection.com. For more information, call 877-778-7467 or e-mail pselmscollection@psu.edu.