UConn’s Tree Warden and Campus Arboretum Team Leads Spring Tour

Storrs, CT – The University of Connecticut has many beautiful natural resources, but none as ubiquitous as the trees and shrubs that dot the campus landscape and make up the UConn Arboretum. The community is invited to join the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History on Saturday June 7 to tour these spectacular organisms. This year’s walk will be led by a team of current and former UConn Arboretum Committee members.

Based on the concept of the “campus as arboretum,” the UConn Arboretum Committee (AC) helps to protect, promote, catalogue, and manage trees and shrubs across the University grounds. Alfred G. Gulley, Professor of Horticulture from 1894 to 1917 at what was then known as Connecticut Agricultural College, first came up with the idea that the Great Lawn could become an arboretum. During his tenure, Gulley was responsible for planting the first trees and shrubs on campus, as well as devising its first walkways and roads. Inspired by Professor Gulley, the UConn AC was founded in the mid-1980s by faculty and staff at the University who shared his dedication to cataloguing and protecting the trees and shrubs that enhance the scenery of UConn Storrs.

The UConn Arboretum Committee (AC) today is made up of University faculty, staff, students, operational and research facility managers, and community members. The Museum is excited to have four current and former members of the committee joining them for this season’s walk. Led by Landscape Architect and UConn Tree Warden Eileen McHugh, the team includes Wes Ayers (Facilities Manager, Utilities and Grounds), Nick Pettit (Greenhouse Plant Growth Facilities Manager), and Greg Tormey (Retired UConn Horticulturalist). As UConn’s Tree Warden, McHugh protects the trees on campus by monitoring their health, ensuring their proper care, and maintaining a Tree Succession Plan. This responsible includes making decisions about planting, pruning and removing trees within the Arboretum.

An asset of both scientific interest and beauty to the University community and campus visitors alike, the UConn Arboretum is a living laboratory that supports both the academic mission and strategic vision of the University. In 2024, the UConn Arboretum was accredited as a Level II facility by ArbNet, the world's only international program of accreditation specific to arboreta. It is now listed with more than 2,400 other arboreta worldwide in the Morton Register. The existence of the UConn AC is one of five standards maintained by UConn that qualifies the University for recognition as a Tree Campus Higher Education by the Arbor Day Foundation. UConn has been certified by Tree Campus USA each year since 2013 and is the first college in Connecticut and only the third school in New England to receive this distinction.

The CSMNH has worked with the UConn AC over the last year to revise the popular UConn Campus Tree Touring Guide, with new trees and more walkable routes. More information about the Arboretum and the revised Touring Guide are available at the UConn Arboretum website. Print versions of the guide will be available in the coming months. This tour will focus on about 24 trees of interest, including native and imported species as well as cultivars.

The tour is scheduled for Saturday June 7, 2025, from 10am-12pm, at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. Sign-in begins at 9:45AM, followed by a 2-hour guided walk through the campus arboretum. The walk is primarily on sidewalks, with some hills and grassy areas. Participants aged 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Held rain or shine! In case of severe weather, walk will be cancelled and rescheduled to a later date. Details regarding meet up location and parking will be sent the week before the event to registered participants.

The event is free and open to the public! Registration is REQUIRED and donations are appreciated, as they help keep the Museum’s public programs free!

Visit https://csmnh.uconn.edu/programs/ for more information and to register.

If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the Museum at 860-486-4460 or CSMNHinfo@uconn.edu by Wednesday June 4, 2025.

This program is sponsored by the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History at the University of Connecticut.