A Walk With the Trees
of The University of Vermont
Welcome….
More than 2500 trees call
the UVM campus
home. Like their human counterparts, they’re from all over the globe.
Native
Vermont sugar maples and oaks grow along with exotic ginkgos and a rare
Dawn Redwood. They all
tell stories.
When Ira Allen gave this
land to the new
state of Vermont for a college in 1791, he insisted there be an open
common. So
the first job was to clear a stand of pines to create the Green. But
over the
years, the trees returned. Some were planted by university officials,
others by
students wishing to beautify their campus.
For nearly 100 years, elms
reigned. By the
early-20th century, their
high, graceful canopy shaded
the Green’s walkways and lined College Street all the way downtown.
Then Dutch
elm disease arrived, and by1980 had destroyed almost all of
Burlington’s 10,000
elms. The last remaining tall elm on the Green was removed in January
of 2005.
Fortunately,
an active replanting campaign begun in the 1970s has helped create a
much more
diverse collection, one far more resistant to such disasters.
Students in dendrology, forestry and ornamental horticulture
learn to identify scores of tree species right on campus. Art students
draw and
paint them. Ethnobotany students study their cultural uses and
significance.
We hope this brochure and
associated website
(http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmtrees) will extend a welcome and educational
opportunity well beyond the UVM campus.
Campus Map
*Tree
locations are marked by circled
numbers.
1. Shadbush * Amelanchier
sp.
Directly
behind Ira Allen is a group of gray barked Shadbush, also known as
Serviceberry
and Juneberry. Early in spring, they produce a flush of white flowers
signifying it's time to fish for shad, as it returns from the ocean to
fresh-water spawning grounds. The small, red, yellow or black fruits
that
mature in June, are delicious for jam, although the birds tend to get
them
first. A popular related species further west is known as Saskatoon.
2. Liberty
and American Elm * Ulmus
americana
One last
American elm remains here, a low growing individual that arches over
the
walkway. Beyond it is hope in the form of a young disease-resistant
Liberty
Elm. This is not a hybrid. It is the result of 50 years of screening
and
breeding of naturally resistant American elms. Note how the young
branches
reach up and out, getting ready to form the familiar vase shape. You
may notice
others like it on campus.
3. Dawn
Redwood
Metasequoia
glyptostroboides
This rare
tree, a cousin of the giant redwoods and sequoias of California, was
first
discovered in the fossil record in 1941. It was believed to be extinct.
That
same year, however, a forester found living specimens in the small
village of
Mo-Tao-Chi in eastern Sichuan, China. In 1947 the Arnold Arboretum at
Harvard
sponsored a Chinese expedition to collect seeds, and distributed them
to
botanical gardens around the world. This specimen, originally planted
at the
home of John Edward Booth on South Williams Street, was transplanted to
the
Green in the 1970's by UVM's grounds manager Dick Streeter, leaving
several
others still growing at Booth House. The Dawn Redwood has needle-like
leaves
that it sheds each fall.
4. Shagbark
Hickory
*Carya ovata
The shagbark
is one of the hardiest hickories of the East; part of the oak-hickory
forest
that once covered much of the Champlain Valley. Its nuts are delicious,
but
small and hard to extract from the bony shell. Native inhabitants
farther south
used to crush the whole nuts, boil them in water and skim off the oily
“hickory
milk” or “pawcohiccora” that collected on top. As the tree grows, its
bark
peels off in long plates (just staring on this young tree), giving it a
shaggy
appearance, and creating shelter for butterflies and bats.
5.Scotch
Pine Pinus
sylvestris
The Scotch
or Scots pine is native to Northern Europe and Northern Asia
(particularly
Scotland to Siberia). It is known for its twisted, crooked trunk with
orange,
flaky bark. Even the bluish green needles, borne in bundles of two, are
often
twisted. The trees can develop a slight lean that increases as they
mature. In
ideal conditions, they can grow to 120 feet tall, with a diameter of 30
inches.
Scotch pine has been planted in the American Northeast and Midwest for
centuries as an ornamental and for erosion control.
6. Black
Birch *Betula
lenta
The Black
birch (also known as Cherry, Sweet or Mahogany birch) was once the
source of
oil of wintergreen, a highly fragrant substance found in its inner
bark, twigs
and leaves. Young trees have a deep red, lustrous bark; in older trees,
like
this one, the bark forms black plates that resemble the “burnt potato
chip”
bark of the black cherry tree. Furniture makers covet the brown and red
wood
that darkens over time, eventually resembling mahogany. In Vermont, the
species
grows in rich woods and along stream banks.
7. European
Beech Fagus
sylvatica
Settlers of
European descent arriving in North America immediately recognized our
native
beech (F. americana) by its similarity to the European Beech: smooth
gray bark,
alternate leaves and bristly husks covering tiny, triangular beechnuts.
Those
nuts were food for early peoples on both sides of the Atlantic, and
continue to
be sought after by bears, chipmunks and many other animals. Writing or
carving
on beech bark is an ancient tradition -early Sanskrit messages were
inscribed
on strips of bark.
8. Norway
Spruce Picea
abies
Norway
spruce grows naturally in much of northern Europe and Asia, often in
company
with European Beech (# 7) and Scotch pine (# 5). It is one of the
world's most
important timber trees, its wood used for construction, packing cases
and
musical instruments. Traditional uses in Europe included spruce beer
made from
young shoots, baskets from the inner bark, and Burgundy pitch (a
medicinal
plaster) made from the resin. Here the towering Norway spruce is a
popular
ornamental. Its twigs droop down from the branches, forming a graceful
“skirt”;
hanging cones are up to seven inches long.
9. Colorado
or Blue Spruce Picea
pungens
This spruce
comes to us from the southern Rocky Mountains. It's the state tree of
Colorado
and Utah. Best known of its various ornamental strains is the variety
‘Glauca’,
with its blue-green leaves. Other varieties are darker green; there are
dwarf
and weeping strains as well. Homeowners are often surprised when their
perfectly shaped, neat young trees outgrow their space—they can easily
reach
100 feet in good conditions.
10. White
Ash
* Fraxinus americana
This
spruce comes to us from the southern Rocky Mountains. It is the state
tree of
Colorado and Utah. Best known of its various ornamental strains is the
variety
‘Glauca’, with its blue-green leaves. Other varieties are darker green;
there
are dwarf and weeping strains as well. Homeowners are often surprised
when
their perfectly shaped, neat young trees outgrow their space—they
can easily reach 100 feet in good conditions.
11.
Bitternut Hickory *Carya cordiformis
A relative
of the Shagbark hickory, this hickory produces smaller, bitter nuts.
This
specimen is remarkable for its dramatic scar on the east side.
Geography
professor Gardener Barnum reports that sometime during the 1970s, he
was
standing at a window of Old Mill, admiring a thunderstorm, when he
heard a loud
crack. He saw what looked like a small explosion come up from the base
of the
tree, and watched the bark peel off in a one giant strip down to the
sapwood.
Today you can see how the tree has healed around the great gash.
12. English
Oak Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata'
So-called
English Oaks are actually native to Europe, northern Africa and western
Asia.
Standard oaks are enormous, spreading trees. This upright form known as
‘Fastigiata’ can grow up to 60 feet high and is only 10-18 feet wide,
was
discovered growing wild in Germany and first propagated in 1783. Since
then it
has been widely planted as an ornamental, windbreak and boundary. Some
of the
small leaves with rounded lobes hang on through the winter.
13. Sugar
Maple *
The Sugar
Maple, Vermont's state tree and Canada's national symbol, contributes
enormously to human well being in our region. Its sweet sap poured
forth in the
spring and boiled down to syrup has been a valued food and condiment
for
hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. Since the 1950s the species has
also
helped draw millions of visitors to view the autumn foliage display, to
which
it adds yellow, orange and red. Old, large trees like this one, lining
dirt
roads or sheltering a traditional farmhouse, are icons of Vermont.
14. Red Oak
*
Quercus
palustris
Mature
Northern Red oaks can be 50-70 feet tall, with a spread of 40 to 60
feet. This
specimen has seen better times. Already past its prime, it suffered
serious
damage in the 1998 ice storm. Its trunk,
11'10” in
circumference, is among the largest on campus. Oaks have a long history
as
sacred trees. The Greek god Zeus dwelt in oaks, and ancient Druids
gathered in
oak groves. The many species of oaks are grouped into two main
categories: red
(or black) oaks have leaves with sharply pointed lobes and bitter,
tannin-laced
acorns; white oaks, (like the English oak), have round-lobed leaves and
sweet
acorns.
15. White
Pine *Pinus strobus
White pines
are among the largest, most abundant and valuable conifers in the
Northeast.
Their telltale identification is needles that grow in bundles of 5. In
the
1800’s the British Royal Navy marked tall pines that survived land
clearing,
for exclusive use as masts, booms and spars. Earlier peoples had more
varied
relationships with the trees. The Cowasuck Band of the
Pennacook-Abenaki,
called themselves People of the Pines. Their dugout canoes reached
40-50 feet
long and could hold up to 40 people. The Cowasuck used pine pitch on
abscesses,
cuts, bruises and broken bones and chewed it for sore throats. Twig,
bark and
leaf teas treated colds, coughs and sore throats.
16. Hawthorn
Crataegus sp.
In the
British Isles, Hawthorns have been essential hedge trees since medieval
times.
Woven together as they grow, their intertwined thorny branches make
impenetrable fences. Hawthorns are also important wildlife habitat and
food
source. The trees produce a flush of early blooms followed by small red
or
yellow apple-like fruits. Called .haws' in the south, they make a good
jelly.
On both sides of the Atlantic, hawthorns are associated with magic; in
parts of
Ireland, a blooming sprig brought indoors causes a year of bad luck.
Most parts
of the plant contain potent chemicals that affect the heart, including
one used
to treat congestive heart failure. Hawthorn genealogy is in chaos—trees
from
European have mixed with native species to create thousands of hybrids.
17. Honey
Locust Gleditsia
triacanthos
The Honey
Locust planting in front of the Fleming Museum was designed by the
famous
landscape architect, Dan Kiley (1912-2004). Influenced by classical
architecture and the formal landscape style of Andre leNotre, Kiley
planted
many such “grid-based designs” in urban settings. The original
planting,
installed in 1965, consisted of 59 trees. They are a thornless variety:
honey
locust trunks usually sport a protective ring of fierce 8” thorns. The
name
honey comes from a sweet substance produced in the edible pods, which
follow
fragrant racemes of white flowers. Delicate, lacy leaves create a
light,
dappled shade. Planted this close together, though, these trees will
never
reach their full size.
18.
Kentucky Coffeetree Gymnocladus
dioicus
Once upon a time this was
the official tree
of Kentucky. But after a contentious and highly politicized forty-year
battle,
the Tulip poplar swiped that honor in1994. Native peoples and early
European
settlers used to roast and grind the seeds contained in a leathery
4-10” pod to
make a coffee-like drink. However, the leaves, pods and seeds are poisonous
and
must be properly processed before they are safe to consume. These two
trees, a
male and a female, are progeny of a tree at 286 College Street in
Burlington,
former home of UVM Professor Tom Hudspeth. He used to give away many
volunteer
Coffeetrees. Dr. Hudspeth believes these trees were donated to the UVM
campus
via Dr.W. Luginbuhl, former dean of the College of Medicine and tree
enthusiast.
19. Tree
of Knowledge
Sculpture
Paul Aschenbach (DATES),
well-known UVM
sculpture professor, created this welded metal sculpture that
represents the
different branches of knowledge taught at the University of Vermont.
20. Katsura Cercidiphyllum
japonicium
The Katsura tree, with its
multiple trunks
and heart-shaped leaves, comes to us from the temperate forests of
Japan and
China. Although in its homeland its soft, fine-grained wood is favored
for
cabinetry, here it grown strictly as an ornamental. In spring, the
delicate new
leaves are reddish purple, in summer a bluish green and in autumn an
apricot
yellow. Just before the leaves drop, the trees give off a sweet, spicy
fragrance.
21. Ginkgo Ginkgo
biloba
Ginkgos, also called
Maidenhair trees, are a
botanical curiosity. They show up in 200-million-year-old fossils,
making them
the oldest living tree known. And while they have broad leaves, they’re
classified as gymnosperms, with the entire needle leaved conifers. Some
individuals are believed to be 1000 years old. Since at least the 12th century, Chinese Buddhist monks
have planted ginkgos in temple and
monastery gardens, where they survived while their wild relatives went
extinct.
During the last 300 years
people have planted
ginkgos all over the globe—they now thrive from Iceland to Australia.
In cities
they’re popular because they cope well with diseases, insects, air
pollution,
fire, snow and ice storms, and even radioactivity. Although in China
the seeds
were sought after for medicinal uses, modern health products are made
of leaf
extracts. Some scientific studies have shown that ginkgolides can
improve blood
flow to the brain and legs and help those suffering from memory loss.
* Native
Tree
Brochure Prepared By:
Spring 2005
Kit Anderson
and students of
ENVS/GEOG
195: Trees and Landscapes: A Cultural Perspective
Continuing
Education, UVM
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Design and
Layout by Julia Lovallo
University of
Vermont Center for Teaching and Learning
http://ctl.uvm.edu
TechCATs
Program:
http://www.uvm.edu/techcats
In Cooperation With:
~Branch Out Burlington~
We are a group of volunteers who help plant and care for the trees of Burlington. Our goal is to promote a vision of a city graced by a variety of beautiful and healthy trees, and a citizenry actively involved with the perpetual expansion and preservation of our urban forest. For more information, check our website:
http://www.branchoutburlington.org
For More on
UVM Trees:
Check us out
on the web at: http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmtrees
Visitor
Information:
Tour begins
at the Ira Allen Statue on the historic UVM green, looking west toward
Lake
Champlain. Parking is available.