A love letter to vanished trees: UHI Inverness lecturer publishes acclaimed new book on elms

UHI Inverness academic and author Mandy Haggith has published her latest non-fiction book as a love letter to the millions of vanished trees that have been killed by Dutch elm disease around the world.

The Lost Elms, published by Wildfire, tells the story of how we nearly lost all the elm trees and how scientists are now desperately trying to halt the disease. Mandy, a Literature and Creative Writing lecturer at UHI Inverness, also takes a lyrical look at the elm's central place in our history, culture and folklore. 

A number of Highland events have been held so far this month to launch The Lost Elms. The latest launch will be at Waterstones Bookshop, Inverness, on Saturday, 23 August at 2pm. Mandy will talk about and read from the book, take questions and sign copies.

The Lost Elms has already received notable critical acclaim, being named as The Independent's non-fiction book of the month for July, Book of the Day on 23 July in The Guardian and was top of a list of ‘ten books about the outdoors to read this summer’ compiled by The Scotsman, who refer to Mandy as ‘a sort of unofficial poet laureate of our woodlands’.

Mandy lives in Assynt in a remnant of ancient woodland and spent 20 years as a forest activist. She has previously published poetry, novels and non-fiction based on the themes of trees, bears and the sea.

“This is a very personal book about my own relationship with elms, from childhood loss to my current life in one of the last refuges for these beautiful and culturally and ecologically important trees. But it’s also deeply researched and takes a global view, and I’m delighted that many people seem to be finding hope and solace among its pages.”

Recent breakthroughs in ecological understanding reveal elms to be far more resilient than we ever imagined. 

UHI Inverness has been at the forefront of research aimed at restoring wych elm tree populations in Scotland. Researchers at the Institute for Biodiversity and Freshwater Conservation have worked in partnership with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh on a study that identified a host of new surviving wych elm that could be used as parent trees to cross-breed survivors that are adapted to different parts of the UK. The first of these potentially resilient elms was planted by Mandy at the community tree nursery near her home.

•    The Lost Elms is also available as an eBook and audio book. If you’d like a signed copy posted directly to you visit: Mandy Haggith | The Lost Elms