Just as the flowering trees are at their peak and we begin
our landscaping projects, the College is launching a Web site that
showcases some of the distinctive trees on the historic campus.
The site, at www.union.edu/Trees, provides a “virtual tour”
of some of the arboreal treasures on the 100-acre campus.
By selecting from more than 30 trees on the tour, users can see
a photograph of the tree and read about its history thanks to
college arborist Paul Freemantle, who prepared the site with Tom
Smith, Union's Web director. Also included on the site are brief descriptions
of the history of the College grounds, a checklist for birders, and links to related information.
“Union has a real treasure trove of trees
from around the world,” said Freemantle. “This site
will provide everyone _ from landscape architects to
hobby gardeners _ with a good sense for what these mature
trees look like and the conditions they need to thrive. This
site also serves as a valuable introduction for those
who would like to visit the campus to see the trees.”
Some of the trees at Union were planted shortly after the College moved to
its present location in 1812. Among the older species are
a white oak just north of West College, and some black
walnuts along Library Lane believed to have been planted by Eliphalet
Nott. Prof. James Underwood has donated black walnut saplings
to succeed those trees.