Enjoy the spring blooms of the UConn Arboretum during a guided tour with the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History!

Storrs, CT – The University of Connecticut has many beautiful natural resources, but none as prevalent as the trees and shrubs that dot the campus landscape and make up the UConn Arboretum. Drs. Gregory J. Anderson and Mark H. Brand, co-chairs of the UConn Arboretum Committee, will join the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History on May 13^th to lead a tour of these spectacular organisms.

Based on the concept of the “campus as arboretum,” the UConn Arboretum Committee (AC) helps to protect, promote, catalogue, and manage trees and shrubs across the University grounds. Alfred G. Gulley, Professor of Horticulture from 1894 to 1917 at what was then known as Connecticut Agricultural College, first came up with the idea that the Great Lawn could become an arboretum. During his tenure, Gulley was responsible for planting the first trees and shrubs on campus, as well as devising its first walkways and roads. Inspired by Professor Gulley, the UConn AC was founded in the mid-1980s by faculty and staff at the University who shared his dedication to cataloguing and protecting the trees and shrubs that enhance the scenery of UConn Storrs.

The UConn AC is currently co-chaired by Mark Brand, professor of Horticulture in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, and Greg Anderson, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and former department head in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. They work closely with the University’s Tree Warden Eileen McHugh, and the students, faculty and staff that make up the rest of the committee, to manage all trees and shrubs in the Arboretum.

The existence of the Arboretum Committee is one of five standards maintained by UConn that qualifies the University for recognition as a Tree Campus Higher Education by the Arbor Day Foundation. UConn recently received their 10^th certification by Tree Campus USA.

The UConn Arboretum spans the entire UConn Storrs campus. This tour will focus on about 20 trees of interest, with Brand and Anderson identifying and sharing stores about some of the campus’ most unique trees. Tour participants will receive their own copies of the UConn Campus Tree Touring Guide, which is also available at the UConn Arboretum website.

The tour is scheduled for Saturday May 13, 2023 from 10-11:30am, at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. Sign-in begins at 9:45AM, followed by a 1.5-hour guided walk through the campus arboretum. The group will meet in front of Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on Hillside Road and return to this location when the walk is complete.

Parking is available in the North Garage or in any Commuter Lots on campus. Visit https://csmnh.uconn.edu/parking/ the week before the event for detailed parking information.

*** This event is FREE and open to the public, but registration is required! ***

Visit https://csmnh.uconn.edu/programs for more information and to register. 

Participants aged 16 and under must be accompanied by a chaperone.

If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the CSMNH at 860-486-4460 or [email protected] by Wednesday May 10, 2023.

This event is sponsored by the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, a unit of the Institute of the Environment at the University of Connecticut. Photo of Weeping Japanese Pagoda tree in the UConn Arboretum © UConn/Sean Flynn.