The elm tree, which was virtually wiped out in Britain 50 years ago, could return to the countryside, according to a new report. More than 20 million of the trees were lost to Dutch Elm Disease in the 1960s and 1970s, but a handful of enthusiasts have since been breeding “elite” elms that can withstand disease and according to research by the Future Trees Trust, the prospects for the elm are starting to look brighter. Its report points out that as well new resistant species being developed, at least four native species of elm have been identified that somehow survived the disease.