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Arboretum Without Walls
by Steve Parker, Highways

The Howard County office complex has trees from A to Z (Ailanthus to Zelkova), and you're invited to pick up an arboretum brochure in the lobby of the George Howard Building, take a lunchtime stroll and see how many different types of trees are planted on the grounds.

In part, an arboretum is a collection of trees in an environment dedicated to education -- teaching about the natural environment and raising conciousness about the impact each of us has on that environment. In Howard County we already have the trees and natural wooded areas. The arboretum program addes tags, interpretive signs and other educational services to these abundant resources.

Learning the names of trees is one way to become familiar with the variety and great value of our natural resources. Perhaps you are already familiar with the American Holly, Crab Apple, Dogwood, Red Maple and White Pine. Using the coded map that identifies trees at the Office Complex, you can find the Dawn Redwood, Goldenrain Tree, Japanese Pagodatree, Lacebark Elm and many others.

The Forestry Board has been involved in educational programs for schools and civic organizations for over five decades. The new arboretum project is unique in that these arboreta will require no purchase of land and no extensive outlay of dollars: they will use the thousands of excellent tree specimens already growing, some for many decades.

After you have toured the Governor's Hill arboretum, visit our other sites: Centennial Park, Guilford Park, Savage Park, and, in Columbia, Cobbs Creek, Jackson Pond, and Wilde Lake. For more information visit us online!