by Ida Wye
Essex Tech aboriculture accomplished a real milestone this spring when there nascent Maplewood Arboretum was certified. This remarkable achievement for a public education institution will inspire and educate the present and future students and the collection of trees will increase as the years advance.
The mission statement describes how “trees tell stories and how each tree represents a unique narrative connecting people with these stories and honors the legacy of the natural world”. This arboretum will be a living classroom and provide an opportunity to experience “a connection between trees, the earth, and humanity”.
Arboretums are more than collections of tress that provide natural beauty; they exemplify environmental stewardship, support local wildlife, ecosystems, and encourage a reverence for the environment.
“Trees enrich the world with their presence and existence.” Essex Tech’s arboretum’s legacy will encourage us to “protect, celebrate, and find inspiration in the world around us.”
I would like to thank Matthew Martin for inviting me to the opening ceremony of the Maplewood Aboretum. I would also like to thank the residents of Massachusetts for supporting vocational education in our exceptional state.♦
Ida Wye is the principal of Ida Wye Designs, offering landscape design, consultation, implementation, and restoration. Ida was green long before it was fashionable. She is committed to creating gardens that heal our planet, one landscape at a time. Ida graduated from U. Mass. Amherst with a B. S. in Plant and Soil Sciences before working for the U.S. D. A. and teaching Horticulture. After studying Landscape Design at Radcliffe, she began working independently. She later studied Urban Forestry and Wetland Science. www.idawyelandscapes.com
