Dutch elm disease timber quality?

[stuckinthemud]

I am in the UK and looking for an elm stave or two.  Elm is not easy to come by and moat of what I am being offered is from diseased trees, some from infected trees not yet dead, some from standing dead trees, some from young stems coppiced growth off diseased and felled parent trees. How does the disease impact timber quality for our purposes?

[stuckinthemud]

Oh , one supplier has decent timber but its kiln dried

[Del the cat]

I've used wood from Dutch Elm trees it was ok
Del

[Digital Caveman]

I think if Dutch elm disease damages wood, it's because it kills the wood and makes it susceptible to rot.  I think Dutch Elm Disease in a live tree is much less of a problem than rot in standing dead elm. Standing dead elm would defiantly be substandard.

[Digital Caveman]

To be honest, I haven't worked too much elm, I just go by the normal quality indicators and figure that if you can't tell the wood is compromised, it is probably fine.  I don't know of DED discoloring wood or causing any of the normal warning signs in live wood.

[PatM]

Where i live the disease impacts about the last few  growth rings and results in graying  of those layers and obvious signs of degradation.
   I wouldn't use wood like that personally although i admit i haven't tried it.  Visually it just looks too much like a badly stored stave.

[bownarra]

There are more elm trees round here than you could shake the proverbial stick at Maybe take a trip up north I could show you acres of the stuff, mainly good quality youngish trees.

[pumarchery]

As i noted here elsewhere before: Straight from the horse's mouth, the Dutch bowyers have found out (Jan Van der Veen, book is Houtkoorts, called Woodfever in English) and it's  confirmed that Dutch Elm Disease does NOT affect the bowmaking ability of the wood, bows can be made with it. Go for it, bowmakers can use it and people who conserve the forest or places where the diseased trees are will be happy to give you it most likely.

[bjrogg]

I’ve never tried it. If you give it a go, make sure you let us know what you find. I do know the dead stuff standing here is hard as glass. Cuts hard with a chainsaw. Makes really good firewood.
Bjrogg

[Jjpso]

my last bow came from a elm tree that was infected. it had 3 inches reflex, heath treated, kept 2 and 1/4 reflex after tillering. started shooting it and it just blew and top limb hit my head! the wood didn't look normal in the inside! dont know if it was related with being infected by dutch elm disease.