In a river terrace forest in east-central Illinois, slippery elm was present in most size classes, but no seedlings were present. A nearby upland coppice, however, contained numerous slippery elm seedlings. The flowers open before the leaves, from February to May, depending on weather and location. Fire rarely occurs in the moist areas where slippery elm typically grows. When fire does occur and conditions are dry, slippery elm decreases.
Information regarding the fire effects on slippery elm is scant.
Slippery elm is probably affected by fire in the same way due to its similiar morphology. 1 . Abrams, Marc D. 1986. Ecological role of fire in gallery forests in eastern Kansas. Species response to a moisture gradient in central Illinois forests. American Journal of Botany.