Program areas at Holden Arboretum
See schedule othe Holden Arboretum is a 3,500-acre outdoor living museum that promotes The beauty and importance of trees and plants to create sustainable and healthy communities in The great lakes region. In addition, The Arboretum has approximately 1,700 acres in conservation easements and 29 acres at The leach research station in madison, oh. The Holden Arboretum is integrated with The cleveland botanical garden as Holden Forests & Gardens ("hf&g"). The cleveland botanical garden is an urban botanical garden located 25 miles from Holden Arboretum in The city of cleveland. Together, The institutions are accredited by The american alliance of museums and represent one of The largest public Gardens in The country. The mission of The two organizations is to connect people with The wonder, beauty, and value of trees and plants, to inspire action for healthy communities. The Holden Arboretum fulfils this mission through core programming that focuses on science and conservation, horticulture and curation, education, exhibitions and events, and community outreach. In fiscal year 2022 ending september 30, 2022 (fy22), hf&g continued its recovery from The downturn created by The covid-19 pandemic. Favorite events returned, and new programs drew more visitors and members. Hf&g also approved a comprehensive site plan that will ensure both campuses are welcoming, year-round destinations for all guests that model and catalyze environmental stewardship. Scientific research: The research staff published two peer-reviewed papers in industry journals and gave nine presentations to professional audiences. Ongoing research projects include studies on beech leaf disease; beech bark disease; hemlock wooly adelgid; plant physiology; plant phenology; soil ecology; forest ecology; and genetics; and 13 interns and seven graduate students supported this work in fy22. Collectively, The research team was awarded nine new grants totaling over $244k, which contributed to The approximately 20 total grants in management by The team. From The leach research station, four plant patents were applied for and issued for new holden-bred rhododendrons. Conservation and community forestry planted and cared for 1,170 trees in fy22, and they distributed 839 trees at community events. The team also manages over 3,000 acres of natural areas at The Arboretum; in fy22, they improved 115 acres of forest stands by girdling for tree release and managed another 503 acres for invasive species control. The conservation staff also completed surveys of 14 rare species, supported wildlife through monitoring and maintaining nest boxes, conducted surveys for deer browse and bird populations, and documented bat species. Through The working woods initiative, which is a unique forest management demonstration site for landowners of small woodlots, The community forestry team advanced efforts on non-timber forest product demonstrations. With research staff, The community foresters also monitored differences in harvest versus control areas. Together, The conservation and community forestry team led or contributed to 57 programs reaching over 1,400 participants in fy22; they also mentored 14 interns and students and produced seven external presentations. The conservation and community forestry staff collaborated with 22 federal, state, and local organizations on projects ranging in extent from northeast Ohio through The entire midwest. Additionally, The forest health coordinator embedded with The team through The usfs grew The reach of The forest health collaborative (fhc) for The great lakes region. The fhc worked with experts in five states (oh, mi, wi, ny and pa) to develop a regional eastern hemlock seed collection strategy, collecting seeds from 62 locations for submission to The national tree seed laboratory. Additionally, about 3,000 beech, ash, and eastern hemlock trees were propagated, grafted, planted, and cared for in The effort to establish pest- and disease-resistant trees. Horticulture and collections: The horticulture and collections staff cultivates, maintains, and cares for nearly 14,000 accessioned plants and plant groupings in The living collection at The Holden Arboretum. In collaboration with The research staff, they manage another 3,100 preserved research specimens and associated data. The horticulture team maintains The approximately 230 acres of developed grounds in The "core" visitor area of The Arboretum, ensuring that guests enjoy a sense of wonder and beauty every time they visit. While The horticulture staff advanced a phased refresh and redesign of signature Gardens at The Arboretum in fy22, The collections maintenance team was developed to manage The trees and trails at both campuses. The collections curation staff also developed plans for strategic management and activation of The collections at both campuses. The horticulture and collections team also works closely with The education staff to support both formal and informal learning experiences. Exhibitions and events: in fy22, The Arboretum served approximately 160,000 total visitors, engaging them in The wonder and beauty of plants and sharing their value to our communities. Stickwork, The outdoor sculpture by artist patrick dougherty that debuted in 2020, remained a visitor attraction throughout fy22 until its planned end of life in september of that year. The Arboretum also hosted a special summer attraction, The mission botanica maze that incorporated research and imagery from The Arboretum's grounds. Eight special events, such as The annual wine tasting, returned to The Arboretum after being paused during The covid-19 pandemic; they welcomed nearly 3,000 guests. Together with The Arboretum's signature murch canopy walk and kalberer emergent tower experiences, these special exhibits and events drive general admission, helping to sustain The organization's operating budget, while also drawing in visitors and piquing interest in The importance of nature and The outdoor world. Education: The Arboretum provides a series of educational opportunities for all ages, from youth and classroom-based programs to adult and continuing education. Classroom- and campus-based programs at The Arboretum include sprouting young scientists (spys) for pre-k and growing students in science (gss) for grades 2 through 5. The education staff also debuted The power of plants (pop), an assembly-style program that visits schools. In addition to formal and informal elementary-school curricula, The education team also manages The nature-based learning site buckeye bud's at The Arboretum, offers adult classes and public programs, and provides resources for teachers. Between both campuses, campers ages pre-kindergarten through grade 7 attended 10 summer camps in fy22. In total, nearly 15,000 people participated in education programs through The Arboretum and together, both campuses served over 25,000 participants. Community outreach: in fy22, Holden Forests & Gardens continued to position itself as a community leader in urban greening and forestry, advancing its people for trees campaign to plant 15,000 trees in northeast Ohio by 2025. The community responded enthusiastically, and by The end of year 2, over 9,700 trees were pledged, planted, or given away. The people for trees campaign is Holden Forests & Gardens' contribution to The cleveland tree coalition, The group charged with implementing The 2015 cleveland tree plan to restore The decreasing tree canopy in cuyahoga county. The green corps program also continued to grow in its second year of its new iteration, focused on mentoring, internship experience, and introduction to horticultural career opportunities. Hf&g's ceo served on The clean Ohio natural resources assistance council; Holden parks trust board; and university circle inc. executive committee.