Sylvania Township: Weather woes delay mapping of Stranahan Arboretum trees

5/12/2004

Threatening weather forecasts last weekend caused officials to cut back on plans to measure and photograph all of the approximately 2,000 trees at Stranahan Arboretum.

The work will continue for as long as it takes to reach an end to the project that includes numbering each of the trees and eventually creating a virtual map and tour of the grounds.

The work is being done by University of Toledo graduate students and members of the science club at St. Ursula High School, Sandra Stutzenstein, program coordinator at the arboretum, said.

Jacob LaCroix, working toward his doctorate in landscape ecology, said some trees in areas not visited by the public may not be included, but all of those accessible to the public are being photographed and measured.

Mr. LaCroix said the width of each tree is measured, as well as the tree's height.

It is hoped the measuring will continue every five years or so.

The plan now is that by the end of the summer, people will be able to log onto a Web site and see the trees in the arboretum.

If they visit the 47 acres on Tantara Drive in Sylvania Township, they might note a tree they are unfamiliar with, Ms. Stutzenstein said. Using the number on the tag on the tree, they will be able to visit the Web site and learn its name, characteristics, and its ecological role, she said.

The arboretum is open to the public and used for UT courses in ecology and geology as an outdoor laboratory. It hosts a number of programs for area schoolchildren, and the virtual arboretum will be available to supplement that instruction.

Contact Mike Jones at:

mjones@theblade.com

or 419-724-6096.