Causative agent: Ophiostoma ulmi and Ophiostoma novo-ulmi (more aggressive strain). The latter arrived in Europe in the 1960s and caused widespread elm mortality in Britain, France, Germany, and Poland.
| Transmission route |
Vector / mechanism |
Season |
| Bark beetle galleries |
Scolytus spp. |
Spring–Summer |
| Root graft contact |
Direct fungal spread |
Year-round |
| Infected wood transport |
Human activity |
Year-round |
Symptoms to recognize
Early symptoms typically appear in late spring: wilting of leaves on individual branches (flagging), followed by yellowing and brown streaking under the bark. A cross-section of an infected twig reveals dark brown staining in the outer wood ring.
Once wilting is visible, the infection has usually been present for several weeks. Prompt removal of infected material reduces spread through root networks where neighboring trees share grafted root systems.