An arboretum is a botanical garden devoted to trees-- a sort of living museum. Over the years, many kinds of trees have been planted and grown to maturity at ESU, both native and exotically non-native.
There is an import from Europe, an enormous copper beech. Then a fluttery crown of a gingko, an import from Asia, whose pedigree reaches back 270 million years in the fossil record. Next comes a small native shadblow, one of the first spring bloomers to brighten our forests in eastern Pennsylvania.
Rollinson, an assistant professor of biology, will show participants the finer points of the arboretum. Participants will also get a printed guide, “Arboretum Guide: The Trees of the ESU Campus,” which maps where trees of interest are located throughout the campus, identifies them and highlights interesting facts and characteristics of each one.
Registered hikers will receive a copy of the “Arboretum Guide.”
One large tree can lift as much as 100 gallons of water a day out of the ground, extract the nutrients it needs and then “breathe” the rest into the air. Climate scientists have found that as trees cycle water out of the ground and into the air, they actually cool the earth’s surface-- gorgeous, green, natural air conditioners.
Join hike leader Carol Hillestad for this easy hike of about 1.5 miles. Dr. Emily Rollinson will join the hike and share information about the arboretum.
This program is free, but registration is required. Call 570-839-1120 or 570-629-2727 or send email to: info@brodheadwatershed.org to register.
For information about this and other hikes in the free Get Outdoors Poconos series. The hike series is administered by Brodhead Watershed Association and supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation.
For more information on programs, initiatives, other upcoming events and how you can become involved, visit the Brodhead Watershed Association website.
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