The new certification will showcase DOE's efforts to preserve native trees
What do an eastern hemlock, a common sassafras and a chinkapin oak have in common?
Got you stumped? It's not a dendrology question. These are all tree species found in Oak Ridge National Laboratory's newly designated arboretum.
In May, a nearly 26-acre area in ORNL's west campus was certified by ArbNet, an internationally recognized arboretum. The new ORNL Arboretum, which is accessible to all badged employees and visitors, contains 52 different species of trees native to East Tennessee - from the Tennessee state tree, the tulip poplar, to the common hackberry.
An arboretum, as defined by the American Public Garden Association, is a place where trees or woody plants are grown to be studied by the public. Only areas that contain at least 25 kinds of trees that have been properly labeled, are accessible to the public in some way and are maintained by a governing body with a strategic plan to care for the trees can receive the ArbNet title of level one arboretum.
"The purpose of seeking that designation at ORNL," says natural resources intern Nicholas Oldham, "was to showcase the Department of Energy's efforts to preserve native tree species and improve pollinator habitats." Oldham worked under the mentorship of ORNL plant ecologist Jamie Herold for a year planning, identifying trees, researching accreditation requirements and creating maps in order to make the arboretum - which contains exclusively native trees - a reality.
"This is a great way to do it, starting with an arboretum, because it concretes a plan," Oldham said. "Now it's certified; now these trees are here to stay."
With 52 of the 62 tree species on ORNL's campus featured in the arboretum, it's a diverse example of native trees found at the lab, Herold says. This allows ORNL's Landscaping Review Committee to promote sustainable landscaping practices by showing visitors the wide range of native tree species they might try planting in their own yards.
According to Herold, while urban trees in general provide environmental services like reducing air pollution, preventing runoff and sequestering carbon, native trees have added benefits. In addition to their natural beauty, native trees help provide food and suitable habitats for other native species including important pollinators like birds and insects.
For example, the native eastern redbuds found in the arboretum flower in early spring and produce a vital food source for pollinating insects in the dormant period before other species bloom in early summer, Oldham says.
It was his love for these insects, not necessarily trees, that spurred Oldham's commitment to the project. Known to his friends as "the bug guy," he is planning an experiment in the arboretum to determine exactly which of these pollinators are present at ORNL.
Other next steps include pursuing additional certifications and potentially expanding the arboretum. Oldham is applying for another arboretum accreditation through the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council and says he believes that with enough work, the space could grow to include more of ORNL's campus.
For now, it's just awaiting visitors.
The arboretum was [established as] a way to provide education and also get people walking around outside and enjoying nature," Herold said.
The ORNL Arboretum includes most of the area west of FIrst Street, wrapping all the way around Building 1504 in the south, Building 1060 in the west, and around the parking lot adjacent to Building 1005 at its northernmost point.
While most of the trees are not physically labeled yet, signs describing individual trees are soon to come. A larger sign will mark the arboretum's location.
More information about the ORNL Arboretum, including maps and information on tree species will soon be added to the ORNL Landscape Management webpage.