September 30, 2011
 Students in Temple University’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture have a goal of leaving a positive environmental impact on their communities. On Friday, September 30, students and faculty worked to leave a legacy in Fairmount Park that will be enjoyed for generations to come.
On September 30, students and faculty from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture, part of Temple’s School of Environmental Design, planted more than 100 trees in Fairmount Park, trees that students grew and nurtured at Temple University Ambler.
The project was part of an ongoing partnership between the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture, the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, the Philadelphia Zoo, and Fairmount Park to plant more than 2,000 trees, reducing the city’s carbon footprint while restoring vital wildlife habitat and helping to control stormwater runoff.
“We are focusing on about 10 different areas of Fairmount Park,” said Valerie Peckham, Philadelphia Zoo Conservation Program Manager. “Between two plantings this year we will have two of the 10 areas completed. At our current pace, we should be able to meet our goal of 2,000 trees in about three years.”
According to Grace Chapman, Horticulture Staff Supervisor at the Ambler Arboretum, Temple has agreed to provide 600 trees to aid in the efforts to reforest 8 acres of Fairmount Park. Eva Monheim, Senior Lecturer in Horticulture, has worked directly with more than 30 Temple students on seed collection, sowing, and cutting propagation for the project, she said. The more than 100 trees to be planted on September 30 will be the first of Temple’s 600 trees to become a permanent part of Fairmount Park.
 “Our original goal was to educate Temple students about proper seed collection, storage, and propagation as well as to propagate our Arboretum collection to protect it in the future,” Chapman said. “Ecosystem restoration is an important process that is supported by our mission of sustainability, so our partnership with the Zoo and Fairmount Park was a logical fit. I think it is important that Temple supports community projects with goals similar to ours.”
Temple received a $25,000 grant for the Fairmount Park Project through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Five Star Restoration Program — the funding supports Temple’s efforts to raise healthy seedlings to restore urban forests and to educate University and area students in the reforestation process, said Chapman.
The efforts at Temple were first initiated by student Mark Raczynski as a hands-on project to learn more about propagation, said Monheim.
“We have conducted several planting sessions on campus over the course of the project. We have also been potting up seedlings that have been brought in from various areas that have a similar elevation as the park planting site,” she said. “We will continue to monitor the growth of the plants and we are very excited to have the first group of seedlings going into Fairmount Park. We have had an active research project happening with the chestnut oak and various potting soils and the trees we planted on September 30 were the result of that research — we were able to plant these particular trees one year ahead of schedule!”
Monheim said the hands-on experiences that the Fairmount project provides to Temple students and beyond is invaluable.
“Students also get to learn how to lead and show their skills to other organizations. Interfacing with other organizations opens up the opportunities for our students after graduation too,” she said. “Students will also have a better sense of community and understanding of their importance in the community. The idea that groups can help one another is a powerful tool for helping to support our own campus.”
According to Peckham, there truly is no “end point” to the reforestation project. Students, faculty, and volunteers from the multitude of organizations involved, “won’t just plant the trees and forget about them,” she said.
“The wonderful thing about this project is that it will go on for generations. Volunteers will see real manifestations of their conservation efforts through the trees that they helped grow and nurture,” Peckham said. “Hopefully this will help them build a lasting connection with nature and realize that animals aren’t the only ones who need trees. People need them too.”
To learn more about the Philadelphia Zoo and the Fairmount Park Project visit www.philadelphiazoo.org.
The Ambler Arboretum of Temple University is a living, learning laboratory that promotes love and knowledge of horticulture, understanding of the relationship between people and the environment, and awareness of both the need for and means to achieve greater environmental responsibility. About the Ambler Arboretum.
For additional information about the September 30 planting, contact Eva Monheim at emonheim@temple.edu or James Duffy at duffyj@temple.edu or 267-468-8108. |
