The Small College Arboretum How to establish it and use it for undergraduate teaching Michael F. Gross, Ph.D. Georgian Court College Lakewood, NJ

OUTLINE I. Introduction: definition, why have arboretum II. How to establish and operate the arboretum III. Trees for teaching IV. 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 Latitude 74’13.08 West Longitude First Four Digits: 0564 Second Four Digits: 1308 Other Digits: Unique Number: 1 to ??? Sample:

Database Options: Specialized Software (e.g., BG-Map [ 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; 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

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: )

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

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 – 9 fall 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 Fagus sylvatica (European Beech); zones Populus alba (White Poplar); zones 3 – 8 (9) Populus grandidentata (Bigtooth Aspen) zones 3 – 7 Populus tremuloides (Quaking Aspen) zones 1 - 7

Rhus copallina (Winged Sumac) Zones 4 – 9; outstanding fall color Rhus typhina (Staghorn Sumac) Zones 4 – 8 Rhus 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. dentata Castanea ‘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 (Swarthmore, PA) Horticultural library, plant sales, summer concerts in amphitheatre, workshops, internships (SUNY- Geneseo) Herbarium, LTER, extensive use for research and education with examples on website, only 20 acres

/index.cfm (Gustavus Adolphus, MN) /index.cfm Three ecosystems native to MN, interpretive center (Hillsdale, MI) Extensive activities and events calendar (James Madison, VA) Library holdings, forms for arboretum use, garden histories

e/web/larboretum.html (Wellesley, MA) e/web/larboretum.html Extensive listing/photos of information on individual trees – very useful for instruction bo/welcome.html (Connecticut Coll, CT) bo/welcome.html Activities and events, native plant list cross- referenced with nurseries