Holden Arboretum

See schedule othe Holden Arboretum is a 3,500-acre outdoor living museum that contributes to The sustainability and health of communities in The great lakes region by demonstrating and sharing The beauty and value of trees and plants. In addition, The Arboretum holds approximately 1,700 acres in conservation easements and includes The 29-acre 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 scientific research, conservation, horticulture and curation, education, exhibitions and events, and community outreach. In fiscal year 2023 ending september 30, 2023 (fy23), hf&g began a period of leadership transition. Ceo jill koski departed in october 2023, returning home to lead The morton Arboretum in The same role. Joel alpern and kathy heflin served as interim co-presidents and ceos from november through august 2023, until newly appointed president and ceo ed moydell joined The organization on september 1, 2023. During this period, hf&g narrowed its comprehensive site plan, identifying The key projects that will ensure that both campuses are welcoming, year-round destinations for all guests that model and catalyze environmental stewardship. Hf&g also continued its core mission-focused programs. Scientific research: The research staff published 10 peer-reviewed papers in industry journals and gave eight 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 17 interns and six graduate students supported this work in fy23. Collectively, The research team was awarded seven new grants totaling over $1.6 million. The master plan for expansion of The long center for plant & environmental research was also completed, which will add a new, two-story expansion with 8,000 square feet of new space and two new greenhouse structures. Conservation and community forestry : The conservation team manages over 3,000 acres of natural areas at The Arboretum. In fy23, they planted 128 trees and cared for or propagated about 3,000 additional trees, in addition to performing invasive species control on 589 acres. They also conducted rare plant surveys on nine species and collected and propagated three rare plant species. In fy23, The team continued its assessment, treatment, and management of pests and diseases including beech leaf disease, hemlock woolly adelgid, and oak wilt across approximately 750 acres. In urban forestry, 116 trees were planted and another 712 trees cared for in cuyahoga county, including three grafted oaks genetically identical to The trees that jesse owens planted in cleveland after The 1936 olympics. A top 10 tree species tree selection bulletin was also published as a guide to landowners. Hf&g's working woods initiative, which is a unique forest management demonstration site for landowners of small woodlots, was recognized with The program of excellence award from The american public Gardens association. Together, The conservation and community forestry team planted 23 american chestnut trees and 750 ginseng seeds; documented 111 plant species; managed 15 acres of invasive plants; and reached 226 small woodland owners through The working woods program. Finally, The forest health coordinator embedded with The team through The united states forest service to lead The great lakes basin forest health collaborative coordinated The collection of 450,000 ash seeds from 94 trees across Ohio and cared for 130 existing beech trees, 825 existing ash trees, and 1,500 existing hemlock trees. The glbfhc also worked with The nature conservancy and experts in six states to develop regional monitoring protocols for eastern hemlock. Hf&g also introduced a seedbank in 2023, to collect, store, and redistribute native seeds to support reforestation and restoration projects throughout northeast Ohio and beyond. In just a partial year of operation, The seedbank processed 150,000 seeds from 30 different native species. 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 approximately 340 acres of developed grounds in and outside of 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 continued to advance a phased refresh and redesign of signature Gardens at The Arboretum in fy23, The collections maintenance team took over The care and management of trees and trails at both campuses, including The planning of a comprehensive trail system at The Arboretum. The collections curation staff received a significant award from The institute of museum & library services in 2023, to digitize its decades of data, making plant records and information more accessible to staff, industry professionals, and The public. The horticulture and collections team also works closely with The education staff to support both formal and informal learning experiences. Exhibitions and events: in fy23, The Arboretum served approximately 193,000 total visitors, engaging them in The wonder and beauty of plants and sharing their value to our communities. The Arboretum also hosted a special summer attraction, sean kenney's nature connects made with lego bricks. The Arboretum hosted 15 special events, in addition to The nature connects exhibition and informal learning opportunities, that welcomed nearly 17,500 guests in fy23. 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 latter of which celebrated its 20th anniversary in fy23, engaging over 66,000 students over 20 years. The education staff also grew its delivery of The power of plants (pop), an assembly-style program for up to 250 students that includes a presentation and up to four hours of small-group, hands-on activities. 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, 108 campers ages pre-kindergarten through grade 7 attended 10 summer camps in fy23. In total, nearly 15,000 people participated in education programs through The Arboretum and together, both campuses served approximately 23,000 participants. Community outreach: in fy23, hf&g 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's enthusiastic response continued, and by The end of year three, over 12,000 trees were planted or distributed. The people for trees campaign is hf&g's primary 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 tree corps program, a paid arboriculture workforce training experience, supported four cohort members and contributed to seeds collected and trees planted and maintained by The conservation and community forestry staff. Beginning in fy23, hf&g used a federal earmark award for urban forestry to provide trees in cuyahoga, lake, and geauga counties. The green corps program also continued to grow in The third year of its new iteration, focused on mentoring, internship experience, and introduction to horticultural career opportunities.