Re: In need of a bit of English Elm
Robin Corell in Atascadero, CA
>Not sure if you are wanting elm from england or Ulmus procera Salisb. Don't mean to be glib, but it can be dificulty to tell which is wych (pun intended) one of the poblems with elms is that they have been planted as cultivars in the often eronious belief that one kind or another was more resistant to dutch elm disease. as a result we have american elm and english elm growing in all parts of North America as well as England. Then there is the fact that english elms are all clones from a single tree and thought to have been originaly planted by the Romans. Kind of like the london plane tree not really being native to England.
I have wood from 4 diferent elms, one I know is true american and one I suspect was european. They are very similar in color with the only real diferance being in hardness. There is enough variation in color within each tree that it can be dificult to tell one from the other even when they are side by side.
I think you will be satisfied with any elm for your project and it will most likely only be disernable at a microscopic level of identification how acurate it is.
As for where to buy elm you can try Hearne in PA or Baker hardwoods in Gilroy CA. I don't normaly sell my wood but if you can't find any let be know and I may have enough small bits that I can round up.
Robin Corell