Accredited Arboretum News

By Brian Hiro

A giant oak tree as old as Cal State San Marcos itself was saved this month as part of a large-scale relocation project.

The tree, which was planted around the time of CSUSM’s founding in 1989 and weighs 27 tons, was moved in early September from a plot outside the Arts Building to the area between Kellogg Library and Campus View Drive, near the main circle.

“It’s not every day that you move a tree that size,” said Michelle Alves, a campus planner in Planning, Design and Construction (PDC) who helped supervise the project.

Few art collections breathe and grow autonomously; Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s bonsai collection has for 100 years. To highlight this milestone anniversary, the institution and its C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum have launched an expanded offering, added accessible signage, and arranged commemorative activations.

The U.S. Capitol Grounds features a collection of more than 4,800 trees throughout the entire 274-acre Capitol complex. Some of the oldest and most majestic trees were planted during the tenure of Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. in the 56-acre area directly surrounding the Capitol building known as Capitol Square.

By Rachel Candlin, BBC News

A population survey of the world's rarest maple tree offers hope for the endangered species, a conservationist has said.

Dan Crowley, tree conservation manager at Westonbirt Arboretum in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, was part of a team of researchers surveying the Amami maple on an island in southern Japan.

Their research found only 12 mature Amami maples in the wild but the discovery of three female specimens could help ensure the species' reproductive future.

There are about 60,000 species of trees on Earth, and about 1 in 3 is at risk of extinction, according to a 2021 report from Botanic Gardens Conservation International.

Among them: the Magnolia fraseri — commonly known as mountain magnolia. Native to southwestern Virginia, they are seemingly unable to adapt fast enough to habitat loss.

Now two western Massachusetts researchers are taking steps locally to save the Appalachian tree.

First Arboretum expert on Clarivate’s esteemed annual list of ‘Highly Cited Researchers’

The Morton Arboretum Tree Root Biologist Luke McCormack, Ph.D., has been recognized as one of the most cited and influential researchers worldwide by global information services provider Clarivate’s esteemed 2023 list of “Highly Cited Researchers.” 

An arboretum can start planning the replanting of trees affected by a deadly fungus, after receiving £350,000 of funding for the scheme.

The Silk Wood Community Planting Project at Westonbirt Arboretum, near Tetbury in Gloucestershire, will see 9,000 trees planted.

In 2021, 5,000 trees on the site were felled due to Chalara ash dieback.

Westonbirt has received £249,359 from the National Lottery for the project and £100,8600 from other charities.

How do you turn a community park, tucked away among rows of housing in the middle of a city, into an arboretum?

As it turns out, many urban parks may already meet the criteria—at least, to be a Level I arboretum. Such a designation requires, among other things, a minimum of 25 different species of plants be present on the grounds.

September 2021

Augmented Reality Brings International Art

to Kirstenbosch this September

The Morton Arboretum and United States Botanic Garden (USBG) announce a new partnership to advance the conservation of threatened trees in the United States, with a special focus on native oak species. The partners will develop threat assessments, conduct field work to resolve taxonomic questions and collect seeds for planting in conservation collections, and advance the work of the Global Conservation Consortium for Oak (GCCO).