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College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

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Chadwick Arboretum Celebrates Arbor Day

May 5, 2006

Editor's note: Photos are available. Contact Victor Van Buchem at (614) 292-3319 or van-buchem.1@osu.edu.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- "Tenacious" could be a good word to describe the American Elm, tree once decimated by Dutch Elm Disease that is making a roaring comeback throughout city landscapes with the production of resistant cultivars. It is because of this characteristic that a ‘Princeton' American Elm (Ulmus americana) was chosen by Ohio State University's Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens to honor the unwavering dedication of one of Ohio State's employees during a recent Arbor Day event.

Dave Maynard, an Ohio State groundskeeper supervisor and plantsman for 35 years, was honored at the 134th observance of Arbor Day in Columbus, Ohio, at the 1,000-tree site of the Chadwick Arboretum, located on the northwest corners of Lane Avenue and Fred Taylor Drive. The site represents over 120 tree species that grow throughout Ohio.

"Dave Maynard worked at Ohio State when I was in school, and I was so influenced by him that I changed my major to horticulture," said Mary Maloney, Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens outreach and development coordinator. Maynard has planted over 5,000 trees on Ohio State's campus throughout his career.

"We thought that an American Elm would be a good tree to honor Dave," said Maloney. "Its history nearly parallels his career."

Over 100 Columbus residents, Master Gardener volunteers and university faculty, staff and students attended the event, which marked the 25th anniversary celebration of the Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens.

Guest speaker Dean Ramsey, emeritus vice president of Ohio State's Physical Facilities, a landscape architect and founding member of Chadwick Arboretum who provided campus landscape leadership for over 30 years, focused on the importance of maintaining green space for the enjoyment of future generations.

The event also recognized the work of Ohio State horticultural research associate Sharon Treaster, who received the 2006 Chadwick Arboretum Arbor Day Award.

"Since 1997, every horticulture student has interacted with Sharon," said Maloney. "She has mentored students, prepared plant walks, directed outreach efforts, coordinated lab experiments, encouraged volunteers, promoted horticultural presentations and given countless lectures."

The Chadwick Arboretum site, where the dedication was made, is one of three garden sites of the Arboretum. The site began development in 1997 after a local organization expressed interest in planting 1,000 trees on campus to prepare for the state's bicentennial in 2003. The trees are representative of the four main ecological areas of Ohio: glaciated plateau, hill country, lake plains and till plains. Examples of tree species planted include buckeye, red maple, white ash, oak, sassafras, black walnut, wild black cherry, shagbark, black willow, butternut, persimmon, and eastern redbud.

Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens is part of the university's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

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Author(s): 
Candace Pollock
Source(s): 
Mary Maloney