Students Map Arboretum Using Bartlett GPS Training

Mont Alto forestry students and technicians from Bartlett Tree Experts mapped over 500 trees and flowerbeds on the Mont Alto campus in November. Ten Bartlett technicians, six students and four faculty members participated, using GPS equipment leased by Bartlett, which planned the two-day session.

The Bartlett Tree Laboratory staff in North Carolina was looking for a mid-Atlantic site when our forest technology director, Craig Houghton, learned of their interest from Scott Diffenderfer, regional manager of the Bartlett office. Scott and Craig arranged for Bartlett to use the Mont Alto campus arboretum. The data collected provides a computerized map of all of the historic and young trees in Mont Alto’s instructional arboretum.

The Mont Alto Arboretum was created in the early 1900s with several vital services in mind. Foremost, it was to provide training for the students and staff of the Pennsylvania State Forest Academy. The varied specimens, native and exotic, would aid in the students’ studies of dendrology and silviculture. Specimens were planted in rows and clusters so that the students could observe their natural forms. The Arboretum also provided for research not related to student training, such as the determination of which exotic species were compatible with Mont Alto’s environment. Development and testing of many new hybrids was done here, and some of these unusual trees still survive.

For the past nine years Professor Craig Houghton dreamed of having the arboretum mapped. The arboretum still serves as a living classroom for forestry students who use it to study dendrology, silviculture and forest management. The Bartlett Tree project has added significantly to the historical and current record of this important outdoor classroom. From now on the forestry students and campus maintenance staff will keep a database on individual tree maintenance such as fertilization, pruning, stress times and disease, monitoring all tree care needs. For more information, on the latest GPS News see maps gps.

Author Notes:

Caleb Evans contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.handheld-gps-reviews.com.  A wealth of information about Global Positioning Systems for commercial or personal use.