The 800-year-old Beauly Elm can ‘live’ again through a sapling recovered from site of iconic tree
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Two young elm trees have been planted on the site of the historic Beauly Elm, which in January last year finally succumbed to Dutch elm disease.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) have worked with Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) as a part of their Scottish Plant Recovery project, which aims to encourage natural regeneration in the populations of 10 threatened Scottish plant species, including wych elm.
One of the saplings was recovered from the site of the Inverness-shire village after the tree fell and is thought to have come from the ancient tree, with the other sapling being provided by the RBGE who are working to breed elms that develop resistance to the Dutch elm disease.
At over 800 years old, the Beauly Elm was thought to be the oldest surviving elm tree in Europe.
It is described in medieval documents as a boundary marker for the land granted to the Valliscaulian Monks on establishment of the Beauly Priory, standing in the north side of the village square for centuries.
The Beauly Elm fell victim to Dutch elm disease and in 2021 the tree was reported as being only 5% living material. Due to its significance to the historic environment, HES's digital documentation team carried out a laser scan that year, the first time HES have scanned a tree.
This has helped to create a detailed 3D model which can be viewed digitally for years to come.
Sarah Franklin, Landscape Manager at HES, said: “The Beauly Elm was an iconic cultural asset and piece of heritage in its own right. Whilst a sad loss, its story has been able to live on thanks to our digital documentation and with the preservation of some pieces of the timber gifted to the local community and some kept within the HES collections.
“With the planting of these elm saplings, we hope to continue the legacy of the Beauly Elm, creating a new piece of living archaeology for future generations to experience and enjoy.”
Dr Max Coleman, Science Communicator at RBGE, said: “The one-year-old Wych elm sapling that we are planting today is the offspring of mature elms in the Scottish Borders which somehow survived this devastating disease.
“Our scientists and horticulturists at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh selectively bred seedlings from these super survivors and our hope is that the young tree will inherit these beneficial traits from its parents and, in time, replace the original Beauly elm.
“This innovative work is part of RBGE’s three-year Scottish Plant Recovery project, funded by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, to restore ten threatened Scottish plant species including wych elms, crab apples, the fern oblong woodsia and the colourful alpine blue-sow-thistle.”
