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The Missouri Arboretum on the Northwest campus is home to more than 1,700 trees representing more than 160 species cultivated from throughout the world. (Photos by Todd Weddle/Northwest Missouri State University.
The Northwest Missouri State University campus is offering its students, employees and visitors new ways to learn about the tree species that make up the Missouri Arboretum through an enhanced tree walk funded in part by a Missouri Department of Conservation Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance (TRIM) grant.
Signage being installed on the campus this month will highlight 24 trees and four campus landmarks. Each tree will be marked with an identification sign and a QR code linking to a short video with more information about the selected tree species. Visitors can learn about the Missouri Arboretum, the Thomas Gaunt House, the Memorial Bell Tower and the Kissing Bridge at interpretive signs near each location with historical photos, text and a QR link to a video.
Additionally, an interactive virtual tour of the Missouri Arboretum is accessible at www.nwmissouri.edu/arboretum/walking-tour.htm.
“Several faculty members use the Arboretum as a living laboratory to teach about trees and the natural environment,” Shane Baumgart, the director of the Missouri Arboretum, said. “We hope our new signs and the interactive tour inspire even more people to explore our amazing campus and Arboretum.”
Missouri Arboretum staff collaborated with multiple Northwest units, including the School of Communication and Mass Media, Special Collections and Archives, Office of University Marketing and Communication, Landscape Services and the Office of Sustainability, to complete the project.
Northwest has consistently received TRIM grant funding since 2017 to help the University preserve and expand the Missouri Arboretum.
The Missouri Arboretum offers a living laboratory for Northwest students, faculty and visitors to study a variety of trees.
The Missouri state legislature designated the Northwest campus as the Missouri Arboretum in 1993. Today, the campus is home to more than 1,700 trees representing more than 160 species cultivated from throughout the world, including an Overcup Oak, a White Fringe Tree and an American Yellowwood, which have been recognized as three of the largest trees of their kind in the state. In 2018, ArbNet accredited Northwest as a Level II arboretum.
The University’s legacy of caring for trees and developing its lush landscape dates to nearly 50 years before the institution’s founding in 1905. About 85 acres of the 330-acre campus were originally part of a tree farm and nursery established by Thomas Gaunt in 1857. The Gaunt home has served as a residence for the University’s presidents and family since the institution’s founding.
While Northwest’s commitment to effective urban forest management regularly earns the University recognition as a Tree Campus USA, the campus environment also offers opportunities for research and education. Northwest annually plants a tree to commemorate the arrival of a new freshman class, while students in organizations such as Bearcats Going Green and others actively engage in activities that help enhance the Missouri Arboretum and educate others about the environment.
For more information about the Missouri Arboretum, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/arboretum/.
