SPRINGFIELD -- The city Parks Department is partnering with two forestry and conservation groups on a project that is aimed at helping to restore American elm trees to the Connecticut River Valley decades after being devastated by Dutch elm disease.

Approximately 130 disease-resistant elm tree saplings, now being grown inside University of Massachusetts greenhouses in Amherst, are slated to be relocated and replanted at the Forest Park nursery in September under the new elm tree restoration collaboration, officials said.

Half of the trees, once mature, will be planted as urban trees on the streets of Springfield, and the other half will be planted in areas along the Connecticut River, said Christian Marks, a representative of The Nature Conservancy, one of the participating groups.

It will take at least two years before some of the saplings can be moved from the Forest Park nursery, and some years longer before they would be ready for urban streets, officials said.

"Like many cities throughout New England, Springfield used to have streets lined with these gorgeous American elms before the spread of Dutch elm disease," Marks said. "Now, they are mostly gone. This presents an opportunity to try to restore some of this heritage by planning the disease-tolerant elms."

The city and The Nature Conservancy are joined in the collaboration by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

The plantings at the Forest Park nursery will be done by members of the participating groups and volunteers, officials said.

The Nature Conservancy will provide a fence around the nursery area to protect the elms from deer, and the plantings will be overseen and maintained by the city's forestry division. The responsibilities of each group is outlined in a memorandum of understanding.

Patrick Sullivan, the city's parks director, and Alex Sherman, of the forestry division, said they are excited by the collaborative project and very optimistic about its long-term potential for success.

"The city has a rich history of the American elms," Sullivan said. "The Dutch elm disease destroyed these city street trees, and we are excited about reintroducing the Liberty Elm to our urban tree inventory."

The peak die-off of the American elm occurred in the 1950s and continued through the 1960s and 1970s, Marks said. The disease is a fungus spread by the elm bark beetle.

Scientists have been working on the development of disease-resistant Elm trees in recent years.

"For the American elm to regain its former role as a canopy tree of both urban and flood plain forests, it's essential to have trees that are disease resistant," Marks said. "In the long term, I'm confident it will succeed."

The Nature Conservancy's stated mission is to conserve lands and waterways.