the small college arboretum how to establish it and use it for undergraduate teaching michael f....
TRANSCRIPT
The Small College Arboretum
How to establish it and use it for undergraduate teaching
Michael F. Gross, Ph.D.Georgian Court CollegeLakewood, NJ 08701
http://www.georgian.edu
OUTLINE
I. Introduction: definition, why have arboretum
II. How to establish and operate the arboretum
III. Trees for teachingIV. Other small college
arboreta
GCC’s Arboretum
152 acres – entire campus: ½ landscaped, ½ “natural” Established 1989 Approx. 2,000 trees in
landscaped area $1,300 annual budget No paid staff members
What is an arboretum?
“a place where trees, shrubs and other woody plants are grown, exhibited, and
labeled for scientific and educational purposes.”
---The Dawes Arboretum
“a plot of land on which trees or shrubs are grown for study or display”
---Random House Dictionary
Can Include:
Isolated Plants
Groups of Plants arranged for a purpose
Nature Trails through natural areas
Why Have One?
Formal Education – Class Use Informal Education – General Public (Tax Benefits; Community Service) Stimulate Interest in Woody Plants
Campus-wide (across the curriculum)
Influence Campus Landscaping and Land Use Decisions
How to Get Started
Form Committee Write Mission Statement Develop a Vision Develop a Plan
Committee Members:
Biology Faculty (Director of Arboretum)
Groundskeeper/Physical Plant Advancement/Development Office Alumni? Art, English, Language Faculty? Student? Local Community/Landscapers?
MISSION STATEMENT: The S. Mary Grace Burns Arboretum of Georgian Court College, acting in harmony and interdependence with all creation, has the mission of preserving and enhancing the unique botanical heritage of the former Georgian Court estate and its gardens, while promoting its use for education, research, enjoyment and inspiration.
Species added to the four historic gardens will augment the gardens’ authenticity. The New Jersey Pinelands flora will be maintained and expanded. Additions to the arboretum will include species that provide interesting colors, textures and fragrances throughout the year. Collections will be developed that build upon the historic botanical strengths of the grounds.
Need a numbering system (accession numbers) for
record-keeping, with
geographic coordinates:
Artificial Grid System: 100 m on a side
Latitude/Longitude Based: GPS unit ($200-$300 for low spatial resolution)
GCC Accession Numbers:
40’05.64 North Latitude74’13.08 West Longitude
First Four Digits: 0564Second Four Digits: 1308
Other Digits: Unique Number: 1 to ???
Sample: 0564 1308 816
Database Options:
Specialized Software (e.g., BG-Map [www.bg-map.com]): expensive, requires training, BUT designed for plant record-keeping
Generic (e.g., Microsoft Access): inexpensive, familiar to most people, BUT users must create structure for record-keeping
Plant Records: What to Include
Accession Number Scientific Name (incl. var., cv.) Common Name Family Name Nativity (tree is native to
where?) When Planted Age
Ancestry (origin – nursery name, etc.)
How acquired (donated, purchased, cost)
Labeled or not History (diseases,
pruning, fertilization, phenology)
Labeling Your Plants:
Display Plaques (only some trees): $10; www.metalphoto.com, www.precisiondesignsystems.com, www.myplantlabel.com
Accession Tags (all trees): 10 cents; engraver, 2.75 x 1 in aluminum tags, 3 in aluminum nails; Forestry Suppliers, Inc.
Augmenting the Meager Budget:Tree Donor Program
$500 per tree: college picks tree, place, planting date; provides plaques, photo on website, free replacement; donor can specify language on donation plaque.
Use excess money to buy other plants.
Visitors When You Have No Staff: Let the Website Do the Work
Arboretum History, Photographs Collection Information: Species,
Locations Printable Maps and Directions Visitation/Tour Times, Rules, Parking Donor/Volunteer Information Guidebooks at Guardhouse or Library
http://www.georgian.edu/arboretum
Visitors When You Have No Staff:Rely on Students and Volunteers
Train students to lead tours – may be paid as part of work-study
Volunteers: Alumni, Retirees, Local Garden Clubs, Establish a Campus Garden Guild
Tour Groups / Public Use
Local Community School (pay fee) Garden Clubs (pay fee) Girl Scouts Pre-college School Groups College’s Re-entry Women Alumni (pay fee) Casual Visitors (weekends mostly) Students Collect Leaves for Projects
AABGA: American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta
$160 per year for <$100,000 arboretum budget
Newsletter and magazine include grant and vendor information
Regional and annual meetings Listing on website Listserve
Organizing Trees for Teaching:
Create communities that mimic real ones from different bioregions: a coniferous forest, a hardwood forest, a swamp. Include overstory and understory trees, shrubs, herb layer plants
Plant trees of same species but different geographic origin together to show phenological or other differences. Our Tilia platyphyllos trees in front of our science building leaf-out at different times.
Group trees of same genus together to show similarities/differences and teach tree identification. Oaks, pines, maples, hickories are common throughout much of North America and each genus contains several species.
Variation within a species: Group cultivars or varieties of same species together. Fagus sylvatica (European Beech; zones 4-8): weeping, purple, weeping purple, tri-color leaved, fern-leaved. Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple; zones 5-8): dozens of cultivars available.
Include some “isolated”, “specimen” trees so that the mature form/shape of the tree will be seen in the absence of competition. Teach how the tree shape or form is adapted to its environment, or for a particular purpose (see Niklas, KJ. Adaptive walks through fitness landscapes for early vascular land plants. Am J Botany 84: 16-25. 1997)
Maximize Light Interception
Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple)
Maximize Mechanical Stability
Juniperus virginiana (Eastern redcedar)
Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood)
Students in the Arboretum
Map the trees and maintain database
Research on tree growth over time (circumference)
Tree reports: each student does 1 page written and oral, brings in twig for verification
Watch a tree weekly throughout semester
Instructor-led tours at various seasons: winter tree identification, wind pollination, fall color variations
Non-majors do self-guided tour and answer questions
“Living Fossil”; “Male / Female”;Distance Pollen Travels
Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgo); Zones 4 – 8 (9)
Economic Importance: Maple Syrup
Acer saccharum (Sugar Maple)Zones 4 – 8; fall color
Deciduous Conifers
Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood)Zones (4) 5 – 8; fall color
Taxodium ascendens (Pond Cypress)Zones (4) 5 – 9 (10)
Taxodium distichum (Bald Cypress)Zones 4 - 11
Dioecious Genera or Species
Diospyros virginiana (Persimmon); Zones 4 – 9
Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgo) Zones 4 – 8 (9); can be forced; fall color
Gymnocladus dioicus (Kentucky Coffeetree) Zones 3b – 8; fragrant flowers
Ilex (Hollies); Fall/winter color
Juniperus virginiana (Eastern Redcedar) Zones 3b – 9; bird dispersal
Nyssa sylvatica (Black Gum) Zones 4 – 9; fall color
Sassafras albidum (Sassafras) Zones 4 – 9; fall color; leaf polymorphism; root sprouts;Sassafras tea – carcinogenic?
Winter or Early Spring Flowering
Acer rubrum (Red Maple); Zones 3b – 9fall color
Acer saccharinum (Silver Maple); Zones 3 – 9
Alnus serrulata (Alder); Zones (4) 5 – 9
Cornus mas (Corneliancherry Dogwood)Zones 4 – 7 (8)
Hamamelis (Witchhazel)
some flower in autumn
Zones 4 or 5 – 8 (generally)
Grafts
Prunus subhirtella var. pendula(Weeping Higan Cherry)Zones (4) 5 – 8; early spring flwrs
Other Commonly Grafted Trees
Fagus (Beeches)
Pinus (Pines)
Fruit Trees
Tilia x euchlora(center)
Tilia platyphyllos(left and right)
Asexual Propagation: Root Sprouts
Fagus grandifolia (American Beech); zones 4 - 9Fagus sylvatica (European Beech); zones 4 - 7
Populus alba (White Poplar); zones 3 – 8 (9)Populus grandidentata (Bigtooth Aspen) zones 3 – 7Populus tremuloides (Quaking Aspen) zones 1 - 7
Rhus copallina (Winged Sumac) Zones 4 – 9; outstanding fall colorRhus typhina (Staghorn Sumac)Zones 4 – 8Rhus glabra (Smooth Sumac)Zones 3 – 9
Robinia pseudoacacia (Black Locust)Zones 4 – 8 (9)
Sassafras albidum (Sassafras)Zones 4 - 9
Rhus copallina (Winged Sumac)
Features of a Woody Twig
Aesculus hippocastanum (Horsechestnut)
(or other member of Buckeye genus)Zones 4 – 7; spring flowers
Spines and Thorns
Craetagus (Hawthorn)Zones 3 or 4 – 7 or 8
Maclura pomifera (Osage Orange)Zones 4 – 9; interesting “brain”-like fruit
Robinia pseudoacacia (Black Locust)Zones 4 – 8 (9)
Maclura pomifera (Osage Orange)
Bird Dispersal of Seeds
Juniperus virginiana (Eastern Redcedar)Zones 3b - 9
Morus (Mulberry)Zones 4 (5) – 8 (9)
Prunus serotina (Wild Black Cherry)Zones 3 - 9
Alien Plant Pathogens; Hybrids
Castanea dentata (American Chestnut)Zones 4 – 8
Castanea mollissima (Chinese Chestnut)Zones 4 – 8
Castanea mollissima x C. dentataCastanea ‘Dunstan’; Zones 4 – 8
Franklinia alatamaha (Franklin Tree) zones 5 – 8 (9); fall color; animal pollination
Native Tree Extinct in the Wild: Why?
Other Small-College Arboreta
http://scottarboretum.org/ (Swarthmore, PA)Horticultural library, plant sales, summer
concerts in amphitheatre, workshops, internships
http://arboretum.geneseo.edu/ (SUNY-Geneseo)
Herbarium, LTER, extensive use for research and education with examples on website, only 20 acres
http://www.gustavus.edu/oncampus/arboretum/index.cfm (Gustavus Adolphus, MN)
Three ecosystems native to MN, interpretive center
http://www.hillsdale.edu/arboretum/default.htm (Hillsdale, MI)
Extensive activities and events calendar
http://www.jmu.edu/arboretum/ (James Madison, VA)
Library holdings, forms for arboretum use, garden histories
http://www.wellesley.edu/Activities/homepage/web/larboretum.html (Wellesley, MA)
Extensive listing/photos of information on individual trees – very useful for instruction
http://camel2.conncoll.edu/ccrec/greennet/arbo/welcome.html (Connecticut Coll, CT)
Activities and events, native plant list cross-referenced with nurseries
