A celebration of a quintessentially British tree. This book describes in detail for the first time the ecological and cultural history of a tree species ravaged by Dutch elm disease but still thriving in its last European stronghold in the Highlands and West coast of Scotland. In a fascinating story of life, death and rebirth this book shows how every part of the wych elm can be recycled, both in nature and the hands of skilled craftspeople, earning it the title of the phoenix tree.