Additions to the Arboretum of Eden

Living Tree Museum

COA Arboretum and Aerial Image

What is an arboretum?

An arboretum is a botanic garden devoted to native and ornamtental woody shrubs or trees. Its different from a forest, nursery or park because it is a living outdoor museum that can be used for research, educational, and ornamental purposes. Ornamental purposes usually involve cultivation for exhibition. Developing our arboretum creates more records for future students to refer to, to analyze our campus inventory over time. Our current arborteum contains around 150 different species of woody specimens

Example of a GIS arboretum

Arnold Arboretum Explorer

Arboretum of Eden

Our mission: "Arboretum of Eden of College of the Atlantic provides students, local community, and visitors a living museum to teach us about the world’s botanical diversity, and a place for reflection and delight."

Arboretum website: Senior Project by Marketa Doubnerova

Arboretum of Eden

Arboretum is intrinsically Human Ecological

Can educate surronding community and visitors. It is one of the more bioligocally diverse pieces of land in this area.

Project Ideas

Mapping and identifying trees and shrubs leads to future student research projects

  • Analyze young tree mortality over years and possible implications of those mortalities. For example, on campus we had two Laburnum sp. trees that were growing right next to each other, one of them died in the last couple of years. I have now mapped the remaining self seeded Laburnum sp. therefore it can be monitored for future student projects.
  • Suitability maps of the trees and their preferred habitat, for smart ecological planning, and to estimate the longevity of these specimens
  • Map pest and or fungal infestations (ex. elms along route 3 mimic a monoculture suitable for dutch elm disease)
  • This layer can be combined with watershed layers and other vegetation maps for further comparisons
  • Range extension projects in the face of Climate change

Craig Greene

Craig Greene

  • envisoned the arboretum as a living labratory
  • tested species for their hardiness in this region
  • planted many of the trees in our collection
  • cliamte adapted trees planted by craig greene

Methods

  • Using a GPS garner unit I mapped the waypoint cordinates of each specimen. I also used my phone for a reference point to keep track of the plants I had already done. Used a camera for photographing species I was unsure of, and worked with barbara Myers and Jill Weber for clarification.
  • Uploaded data and edited data

Additions that were made

Additions to COA Arboretum Final Map 2022

There were around 173 specimens that were added to the arboretum. 24 of these plants were flagged with green tape by Barbara Myers with their genus and species name. The rest of these specimens (149), were along Route 3 installed by the Maine Department of Transportation in 2019 after the reconstruction of Route 3. The Landscape Subcommittee of the Campus Planning and Building Committee will use these 149 data points to decide which plants along Route 3 will classify as "Arboretum specimens".

Route 3 construction

construction notes

construction notes no.2

some specimens are more than 100 years old

some plants were originally part of the farrand garden

Canopy Grant 2022

  • Canopy Grant is a nationwide award that was developed by the department of agriculture, conservation and Forestry’s Maine Forest Service
  • popular award among college campuses for example the University of New England receives $23,000 Project Canopy grant to bolster urban forestry initiatives
  • "Projects increase the health and livability of communities through sound tree planting and maintenance."
  • Project Canopy is funded by the USDA Forest Service Community Forestry Assistance Program

Results

Native species (to MDI): Picea glauca, Abies balsamea, Viburnum dentatum, Pinus strobus, Acer rubrum, Acer Penysylvanicum, Acer platanoides , Liriodendron tulipifera, Ulmus sp., Hamamelis virginiana Ilex verticillata, Laburnum sp., Tsuga canadensis, Tilia americana, Quercus macrocarpa, Amelanchier, Cornus sericea, Malus variants, Acer Rubrum, Acer saccarhu, Comptonia peregrina

Non native/Ornamental species (to MDI): Robina psuedoacacia, Fagus sylvatica, Magnolia stellata, Magnolia virginiana, Viburnum plicatum f. Tomentosum, Cladrastis kentukea, Aronia arbutifolia, Rhus aromatica, Corylus americana, Ulmus sp., Liriodendron tulipifera, Aesculus parviflora, Exochorda sp., Gymnocladus dioicus, Heptacodium miconioides, Lindera benzoin, Rhododendron sp., Rosa galuca

 

Craig Greene

construction notes

construction notes no.2