State of Montana Arboretum – 2023 Summer Tour Series - “Conifers and Early Spring Tree ID”
The State of Montana Arboretum Committee invites the public to the first of the 2023 Arboretum Summer Tour Series, “Conifers and Early Spring Tree Identification” at the State of Montana Arboretum (SoMA) - University of Montana, Wednesday, May 17 at 6 pm. This guided tour will be repeated on Saturday, May 20 at 11 am.
The community is invited to join a leisurely walk and guided tour through the arboretum at the University of Montana campus. The tour, “Conifers and Early Spring Identification”, will be guided by Ed Burke, recently retired Professor of Wood Science and Technology. The tour will begin at 6pm, Wednesday, May 17 at The Root, SoMA’s interpretive site located west of the University Center and north of Main Hall. (The tour should last 1-1.5 hours and repeats Saturday, May 20 at 11 am.)
“Attending school where the campus also serves as an arboretum provided an ideal learning space outside the classroom that Ed took full advantage of,” stated former student Marie Boggess, City of Missoula Urban Forestry Specialist II. Former student and certified arborist Adam Coe added, “Ed has had the single largest impact on my arboricultural education, not only because of his astonishing amount of knowledge, but also because of his passion for understanding trees and the impact they have on our lives.
The University of Montana campus arboretum was officially established in 1933 by the Forestry School. With 1,200 trees of 55 species, the arboretum was planted in a 100-foot-wide strip, from Kirkwood Grove to the modern-day tennis courts. In 1991, nearly 60 years later, the UM campus in Missoula was formally declared the State of Montana Arboretum. On November 6, 1991, the State of Montana Arboretum Committee met for the first time and nominated Forestry professor Ed Burke as chairperson. The number of trees at the arboretum now number over 2,200, and Professor Burke retired this May. Learn about arboretum trees and woody shrubs through a series of themed tours this summer
For more information, contact Marilyn Marler at marilyn.marler@mso.umt.edu
https://www.umt.edu/arboretum/