University of Washington Bothell (UWB) and the University of Washington Botanic Gardens (UWBG) at the Washington Park Arboretum (WPA) partnered this Winter quarter with two community based learning and research BES 495 student interns. Here are their BES 495 project blogs:

Planting Projects at WPA by Jessica Rouhana, BS in Conservation and Restoration Science 

Two projects were focused on: Rhododendron Glen and the Lightning Tree. In both of these areas, our main goal was to prep the area for new plants, plantings and then make the areas look aesthetically pleasing by doing some finishing touches. The Rhododendron Glen is one of the most well-known gardens in the park known for its impressive collection of Rhododendrons that date back to the 1930s, a babbling brook, and some unique species like the four huge dawn redwoods (Metasequoia glyptostroboides).  This area was in need of restoration due to a dense canopy causing understory plants to die, eroded trails, and the lack of defined water features that were a part of the original design. The Lightning Tree Display is located within the oak collection section of the arboretum. It displays what is leftover of a huge lightning strike hitting a Grand Fir, one of the tallest trees in the oaks at the time, in 2015. This area was restored with the goal of installing new plants that fit along with the theme of that area of the park and also to restore the lightning tree back to its former glory.

To accomplish these planting projects, volunteers, interns, and gardeners weeded, removed invasives such as the Himalayan blackberry (Rubus armeniacus), spread soil and mulch, pruned, created new areas of garden beds, and planted and protected plants from predators. Although these tasks sound simple, each one is done methodically with the health of the plant(s) being the main priority. The gardeners are extremely knowledgeable with backgrounds in horticulture, environmental sciences, and arboriculture and use special techniques depending on the species of plants or trees.

Through doing planting projects in the Rhododendron Glen and the Lightning Tree display, I was provided with an eye-opening experience as to just how much work goes into the gardens and how much they also affect the community. For many people in Seattle, this is a 230-acre urban refuge and is one of the few large urban greenspaces within the area. Education is also a huge component of the park with there even being programs for preschool age children so they can develop relationships with the natural world and others. The curiosity and the appreciation from the visitors is what makes this work so rewarding and motivating as you can see the direct effect that it has on peoples mind, body, and spirit.

Champion Trees at UW Botanic Gardens by Jit Singh Roopra, BS in Earth Systems Science

UWBG at WPA is considered a living museum containing live collections across 230 acres for people to come see and enjoy. These collections consist of different species of trees planted near each other to create each collection. David Zuckerman, the director of horticulture, told me about the great number of champion trees they have that have not been re-measured for a while.

Locating the champion trees consisted of using this map, that shows the champion trees as red and green dots. The arboretum is mapped with 100’x100’ grids, these grids specify where the trees are planted as well as providing a base mark location. This allowed me to get an approximate location of the tree. Using a combination of mapping and GPS I would then start a hunt for the tags on the trees to match the accession number that matched the champion tree I was looking for.

Champion status is determined by the total number of points a tree gets. Points are calculated by the Trunk Circumference (inches) plus Height (feet) plus one quarter of the average crown spread (feet). This would give the total points for a tree which would then be compared to the other trees of this species. The American Forests have a tree measuring guidelines handbook which lays out the rules and instructions for measuring. Not all trees are planted on a flat slope, nor do they all have a single trunk coming out of the ground. This complicates things as more specific measuring rules must be followed. A tree on flat ground with a single trunk can be measured easily, getting the diameter at breast height or around four and a half feet from ground (DBH), the crown spread, as well as the height. However, a tree on an inclined slope or with multiple trunks, has other factors that need to be considered.

The trunk diameters are the measurements that I was able to get for most trees as it is the easiest measurement to record. Using a laser clinometer, I was then able to begin recording the heights of trees as well. At the end of the day, I would have trunk diameters, heights and would also record the condition of the tree. This data then goes into the Botanical Garden Database (BG-base) which has all the records of the trees.

Throughout my research here at UWBG, I was able to understand the significance of the Botanical Garden and its purpose to the community. The American Forests has created a fun way for people to gain more knowledge of trees by giving champion status’ to trees and allowing parks to nominate their trees.