PORTLAND PARKS & RECREATION ANNOUNCES PRESTIGIOUS HONOR FOR HOYT ARBORETUM: NAMED AS CONIFER REFERENCE GARDEN BY NATIONAL SOCIETY
Posted: February 1st, 2012 11:25 AM
February 1, 2012
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Mark Ross, Public Information Officer
Portland Parks & Recreation Announces Prestigious Honor for Hoyt Arboretum:
Named as Conifer Reference Garden by National Society
(Portland, OR) –
Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R)'s valued partner, the Hoyt Arboretum, has been named a Conifer Reference Garden by the American Conifer Society. Hoyt Arboretum becomes only the second such garden in the western United States. A conifer is any tree that has thin-leaved needles and produces cones. Pines, firs, junipers, larches, spruces, and yews are all conifers. Hoyt Arboretum, located at 4000 SW Fairview Blvd, has an impressive 237 species of conifers across its 12 miles of trails.
In order to qualify for this prestigious honor, the Hoyt Arboretum had to:
• Show that the arboretum provides conifer collections that educate the public about growing conifers and demonstrate their uses in the landscape
• Introduce gardeners to new varieties of conifers that are appropriate to grow in their area
• Ensure that the arboretum is open to the public and contains a minimum number of conifers
• Ensure that conifers will be accurately labeled and properly maintained
Conifer Society members conducted a review, and Hoyt Arboretum was accepted officially on Saturday, January 21. PP&R and Hoyt are very pleased to have our extensive conifer collection recognized by this national organization of enthusiasts.
This honor was made possible by the ongoing support of the Hoyt Arboretum Friends, an important partner group essential for the growth of the Arboretum.
History of the Hoyt Arboretum
www.hoytarboretum.org
The Arboretum has been open since 1931. Our spruce and fir collections in particular are extensive. The plantings at the arboretum are taxonomic in arrangement with multiple examples of most species. The conifer section in particular gives the feel of walking though a mature diverse forest.
Hoyt Arboretum was dedicated in March of 1928, as a result of efforts by a group of Portland civic leaders – foremost among them Thornton Munger of the U.S. Forest Service, Sinclair Wilson and E.S. Collins representing the timber industry, and C.P. Keyser, Superintendent of Portland Parks. Their enthusiasm for the project came partly from knowledge of the timber industry and forestry practices. But they were also bringing to fruition the idea of an arboretum in the area west of Washington Park, an idea first proposed as part of the Olmsted Brothers' recommendations for Portland Parks in 1903. A plan for development of the Arboretum was drawn up in 1930, and the first trees were planted in 1931. Planting continued over the next several decades, with particular care being given to the range of conifers.
In 1986, the Hoyt Arboretum Friends Foundation was formed to provide additional support. Operation of the Arboretum is now a successful public/private partnership between HAFF and Portland Parks and Recreation. Although the Arboretum is officially a park within the city of Portland, it acts as a regional resource and serves people from a large surrounding area. More than 250,000 people visit each year, including visitors from all 50 states and many foreign countries. The advent of light rail, which brings visitors to the Arboretum's southern edge, has boosted visitation, as has the increased density of surrounding neighborhoods.
The currently collection represents over 1,100 species plus 400 cultivars of woody plants from all over the globe. Hoyt Arboretum is a member of two multi-site national plant collections, maple and magnolia. Hoyt is home to an extensive conifer collection with many mature specimens which are unmatched at other gardens nationally. Accessible from 12 miles of trails the Arboretum provides year-round interest. The visitor center is open Monday thru Saturday providing information and maps to help find your favorite tree.
Info on The Conifer Society reference gardens:
http://www.conifersociety.org/cs2/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=9
For more info: Joe Carli joe.carli@spadafarms.com
For more information about Hoyt Arboretum, contact
Martin Nicholson
Hoyt Arboretum Curator
Office: 503-823-4475
Cell: 503-823-8624
###
Mark Ross Public Information Officer
Portland Parks & Recreation
503-823-5300 (office); 503-823-6634 (cell)
Mark.ross@portlandoregon.gov
Healthy Parks, Healthy Portland
portlandparks.org
Nick Fish, Commissioner | Mike Abbaté, Director
Replies to this message do not go back to the sender.
Go to http://FlashAlert.net/login.html to change or delete these messages.
