Ask-a-Dave's-Gardener: Declining Drake Elm, 3 by Feebysowner

Feebysowner wrote:
I have a drake elm, probably around 20 years old, that has been in decline for the past couple of years. This year it looks bad enough that I called a couple of tree specialists to ask their opinion.

One, a certified arborist, said it is not salvageable but wasn\'t sure exactly what was wrong. The other, specialist thought it was borer beetles and also said the tree was too badly damaged to recover. The \'sawdust\' at the base of the tree apparently indicates some form of insect boring into the tree.

The first person offered no suggestions other than to remove the tree. The second person offered help in finding a new tree to locate in the same general area as this one after it is removed. He did not say the area around this tree should be treated because of the borer beetles. But, I am concerned about this because my husband wants to replace this tree with another drake elm.

What is the best way to move forward?