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Winter 2009 |
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News and Notes is issued three times a year, in January, May, and September, to stakeholder organizations to keep them informed about recent arboretum accomplishments and activities. Stakeholders are encouraged to use material from this document in reports to their members. Please send comments to: Thomas S. Elias, Director John Hammond, Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit
Leader Debbie Cicala, Administrative
Officer Nancy Luria, Education and Visitor Services Unit Leader |
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Staff
Participate in Plant Collection Expedition to Azerbaijan
Arboretum Director Guest of Chinese Academy of Sciences During his visit to the U. S. National Arboretum in May, Dr. Lu Yongxiang, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), invited arboretum director Dr. Thomas Elias to tour four botanical gardens in southern China. Read more... Arboretum Horticulturist Member of Collecting Team in China Gardens Unit horticulturist Christopher Carley traveled to Shaanxi Province, China, in September with representatives from the Morris Arboretum and Morton Arboretum, partners in the North American China Plant Exploration Consortium. Read more... Arboretum Researchers Awarded Grant to Develop Universal Plant Virus Microarray Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit (FNPRU) research plant pathologists John Hammond and Ramon Jordan are part of a group of researchers who were awarded a USDA National Research Initiative grant of just under one million dollars over three years. Read more... FONA Distinguished Lecture Series Features Rick Darke On Saturday, November 15th, the Friends of the National Arboretum's Distinguished Lecture Series featured Rick Darke, a widely published author, photographer, and design consultant who specializes in regional landscape design, planning, and conservation. Read more... Tree and Bench Dedicated to Dr. H. Marc Cathey New Brochure for the Asian Collections A brochure for the Asian Collections joins the family of brochures the arboretum has been creating over the past few years. The brochure follows a template design with an artist-drawn, bird's-eye view illustration of the collections and descriptions of each of the five sections: Asian Valley, China Valley, Japanese Woodland, Korean Hillside, and Camellia Collection. Staff photographs of plant details and landscape views complement the text. Read more... New Irrigation Systems Under Construction Two new irrigation systems being installed this winter will help the arboretum conserve resources—both natural and human. The aging irrigation system in the Azalea Collections will be replaced by a new one that may be programmed to apply water at night and early in the morning when evaporation losses are low. Read more... Fern Valley Construction Nears Completion Construction in the Fern Valley Native Plant Collection continued throughout the autumn months in a second phase of path renovation. Handicapped-accessible paths will replace existing ones that are too steep to meet the requirements for accessibility. Read more... New Enclosure Planted in the Holly Magnolia Collection An original landscape feature in the Holly Magnolia Collection has a new look. In the late 1950s, a ring of Ilex cornuta 'Rotunda' surrounded a majestic black oak near the center of the collection. Read more... Research Horticulturist Attends Meeting in Korea Dr. Mark Roh, Research Horticulturist, Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit, attended the International Symposium on Plant Genetic Resources and Biotechnology in Young Pyung, Korea, in September. Read more... Research Physiologist Visits Japan Dr. Kathy Kamo of the Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit visited Osaka, Japan, in November. She was invited by scientists at Kinki University because of their interest in establishing a patent committee. Read more... Arboretum Scientist Presents Research at International Maple Society Symposium in Japan Dr. Richard T. Olsen, research geneticist and leader of the urban tree breeding program at the National Arboretum, was invited to give a presentation on the USNA maple breeding program at the 3rd International Maple Society Symposium, held in Kawaguchi city, Saitama prefecture, Japan, in November. Read more... Horticulturist Represents USNA at Tree Meeting in New Mexico Susan Bentz, Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit horticulturist, travelled to Las Cruces, New Mexico in November to attend the 15th meeting of the Metropolitan Tree Improvement Association (METRIA). Read more... 'Natchez' Crapemyrtle Featured at Annual Trade Show The National Arboretum's research programs were on display at the Southern Nursery Association (SNA) Trade Show, held in August at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. Read more... Sustic Returns to Curator Role in the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum Jack Sustic, the third curator of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, returned to his former position in November following the retirement of curator Jim Hughes. Read more... New Education Program Coordinator Hired Lindsay McEachern Hicks became the new Horticultural Education Programs Specialist in November. Read more... |
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Last Updated January 6, 2009 5:27 PM
Two
arboretum staff members traveled to plant-rich Azerbaijan in September
to collect seeds, plants, and herbarium specimens. Floral and Nursery
Research Unit horticulturist Martin Scanlon and Gardens Unit botanist
Stefan Lura were part of an international team collecting in this tiny
country in the Caucasus Region. For its relatively small size, Azerbaijan
has a wealth of biological and genetic diversity, due largely to a wide
range of climate and topography. The team made three journeys, each in
a different direction, from Baku: the first part of the expedition went
north along the Caspian Sea coast to the northeastern part of the country
near the Russian border.