University of Illinois Arboretum Collections Committee

Background

The collections at the Illinois Arboretum include the species and cultivars that are taught in forestry, horticulture, landscape architecture, natural resources and environmental sciences and plant biology curricula, as well as courses taught in pharmacy, toxicology, geography and visual arts.

The collections are organized in replicated plots to allow for proper scientific evaluation of species and cultivars. Plants that perform well are further incorporated into landscape gardens, where their usefulness can be demonstrated. The landscape gardens are essential to support the applied arts educational outreach components of the Arboretum’s mission.  Plant habitats, a form of plant collections that are consistent with the "natural areas," are essential for enhanced research and instructional activities in ecology, taxonomy and other natural sciences.

Responsibilities

This committee will make recommendations on policies related to the organization, acquisition and management of the plant collections.  Committee members will:

• Plan the organization of the plant collections to meet the goals of the Arboretum;
• Establish plant acquisition guidelines to include acceptance, rejections, purchase, deaccession and record keeping of plant material;
• Develop guidelines related to interpretive signage of garden areas and plant collections and labeling of individual plant specimens; and
• Interact with members of the Development Committee and Advisory Board regarding collections for the Heritage Garden. This garden will represent a unique fund-raising opportunity for the Arboretum, as many of these plant developments have been commercially successful. Collections for the Heritage Garden will include plants developed by UI Alumni and Illinois breeders who have made significant contributions to the area of plant selection and breeding. Development of interpretive signage discussing the scientific and economic significance of the plant material for the Heritage Garden will also be a charge of this committee.

Members

Kris Bachtell Director of Collections & Horticulture Morton Arboretum 4100 Illinois Route 53 Lisle, IL60532 (630) 719-2400 kbachtell@mortonarb.org	Jim Bier College of Fine and Applied Arts Japan House 2000 S. Lincoln Avenue Urbana, IL61802 (217) 344-2269 bier@uiuc.edu
Steve Cline Kemper Center for Home Gardening, Missouri Botanical Garden PO Box 299 St. Louis, MO63166 (314) 619-9812 Steven.Cline@mobot.org	Earl Cully Proprietor Heritage Trees 846 Hoagland Road Jacksonville, IL62650-6340 (217) 673-3741 heritagetrees@irtc.net
Rich and Suzy Erye Proprietors Rich's Foxwillow Pines 11618 McConnell Road Woodstock, IL60098 (815) 338-7442 coniflora@richsfoxwillowpines.com	Roy Klehm Proprietor and plant breeder Beaver Creek Nursery 197 West Penney Road South Barrington, IL60010 (800) 553-3715 rgklm@aol.com
Gary Kling Associate professor of horticulture Department of NRES - UIUC 1201 S. Dorner Street 1015 Plant Sciences Bldg, MC-634 Urbana, IL61801 (217) 333-3363 gkling@illinois.edu	Bryan McCandless General Manager D. Hill Nursery 16111 Route 176 Union, IL60180 (815) 923-2141 Bryan@dhillnursery.com
Ken Robertson Professor of Botany Illinois Natural History Survey 393 Natural Resources Building 1816 S. Oak Street Champaign, IL61820 (217) 244-2171	Jim Schmidt Horticulturalist and extension specialist Department of NRES - UIUC 1201 S. Dorner Street 1035 PSL, MC-634 Urbana, IL61801 (217) 244-5153 jschmidt1@illinois.edu