A Busy Fall At The Arb
It’s been a busy fall at the Arboretum.
Almost all of the 192 trees and shrubs planted over the summer appear to be doing well. Several decent rains have helped carry the plantings over to the dormant period without additional watering. Anticipation is running high for spring bud break. It’s going to be beautiful.
Forty-five students from Whitewater Middle School Builder’s Club and Whitewater High School Key Club came to the Arboretum on November 2 for hands-on urban forestry activities and to help plant the remaining twelve serviceberries. These energetic and curious young people are obviously our environmental future, and student participation in the Arboretum will continue and grow.
The Fall Workshops featured knowledgable experts on a variety of interesting topics.
• Workshop One—an orientation to the Arboretum (including an overview of the plantings, tree height and age calculations, shinrin-yoku, and Native American perspectives on trees).
• Workshop two—in depth information about various species and tree growth patterns. (Oaks grow surprisingly fast.)
• Workshop Three—The geologic history of Starin Park and the surrounding area. (The water tower hill is a glacial drumlin.)
The Generac Welcome and Education Center pavilion was installed on a concrete pad provided by Walton Concrete and Construction. A generous donation from Generac allowed the purchase of a beautiful pavilion kit, and Generac volunteers provided the energy and skill needed to get it assembled. (The dedication is planned for the spring, right around Earth Day/Arbor Day and the Arboretum annual tree sale.)
