In Monument Valley Park, north of downtown Colorado Springs, stands an American elm tree that has weathered more than 100 years of storms, a devastating flood of Monument Creek and an outbreak of Dutch elm disease that wiped out millions of trees across the U.S. in the 1970s.

“That tree is a real survivor,” said Janet Fitzgerald of the Horticultural Art Society.

But even a survivor needs the occasional helping hand.

On Friday, about a dozen employees from SavATree, an arborist and lawn care company in Colorado Springs, performed much-needed maintenance on the tree, pruning and trimming away dead branches and other material.

“The tree had been neglected for a while,” said Fitzgerald, who admits that her affection for the elm “borders on the eccentric.”

Historians with the Horticultural Art Society believe the elm is one of the original trees planted when Gen. William Jackson Palmer developed the park in 1907, which would make the tree 117 years old.

“Just the age of the tree is enough for people to think it’s special,” said HAS historian Ann Burek. “But it has also survived so much, and it’s still standing.”

In the early 1970s, an outbreak of Dutch elm disease devastated the American elm population in the U.S., felling more than 70 million trees nationwide, according to data from the U.S. Forest Service.

“(The disease) affected hundreds of trees in Colorado Springs alone,” Burek said.

Despite heavy, wet snow that blanketed the city Thursday night and Friday morning, SavATree technicians showed up to service the tree and take measurements for the first time in years.

“It was a little snowy,” said SavATree branch manager Brad Maddy. “But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It was still a good time to do dormant pruning on an elm tree.”

At the time of its last known measurement, the American elm, which serves as a centerpiece of the park’s Heritage Garden, was about 50 feet tall, according to HAS officials.

“It’s now 80 feet tall, and roughly 50 inches in diameter at breast height,” Maddy said.

An American elm tree can live up so 300 years — sometimes longer — and grow to 100 feet, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

SavATree personnel also used the tree to conduct live aerial rescue training on Friday, according to Maddy.

“If a tree climber, God forbid, gets injured while they’re suspended in a tree, then we need to know how to get to the individual and get them down safely,” he said. “We try to do every year with our group.”

The tree and lawn care company has partnered with the Historical Art Society to sponsor the tree’s care, Fitzgerald said.

“This makes me very happy,” she said. “This tree is very important to me, and to other people in the HAS. I’m so glad SavATree is helping us take care of it.”

A team of tree climbers from SavATree shapes the 117-year-old American elm tree in the Heritage Garden on Friday in Monument Valley Park. SavATree in Colorado Springs adopted the tree in cooperation with the Horticultural Art Society of Colorado Springs. The tree was measured at 80 feet tall with a diameter of 50 inches.

Christian Murdock, The Gazette

Tree climber Ryan Spurlin prunes branches in the 117-year-old American elm tree in the Heritage Garden Friday, Jan. 26, 2024, in Monument Valley Park. A team from SavATree in Colorado Springs, which has adopted the tree in cooperation with the Horticultural Art Society of Colorado Springs, spent the day pruning and shaping the public garden centerpiece. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

Christian Murdock/The Gazette