Wych Elm is rarely found as a tree and is more common as a hedgerow shrub. This is a likely result of the ravaging effects of a recent wave of Dutch elm disease which has affected all the UK’s elms, killing many mature trees and preventing new trees from growing. Mature Wych Elms can be found in woods, often alongside streams and mainly in upland areas. It is one of the few elms to spread mainly by seed, instead of propagating clones from root suckers.