Hadwen Arboretum

The Hadwen Arboretum is a 26.7-acre (10.8 ha) woodlot located in the Columbus Park neighborhood of Worcester, Massachusetts. It contains many heritage trees that were originally planted by its caretaker Obadiah Hadwen, who bequeathed the land to nearby Clark University in 1907. The site is still owned by the University.[1][2][3]

Autumn foliage in the Hadwen Arboretum.

The mid-point of the East-West Trail, a 14-mile (23 km) trek connecting 20 green spaces throughout Worcester, is located in the Hadwen Arboretum. A community garden cared for by the Regional Environmental Council is also located within the site.

History

The Hadwen Arboretum was willed to Clark University by its original caretaker Obadiah Hadwen upon his death in 1907. Hadwen had been Commissioner of the Worcester Department of Parks and Recreation and President of the Worcester County Horticultural Society.

Hadwen planted an assortment of trees from around the world on his land, some of which survive to this day. Upon his death he bestowed his property to Clark in order to ensure that it would be “forever kept for the purpose of educating students in Agricultural, Historical, and Arboreal knowledge scientific and practical.” Despite some interest in selling, Clark University continues to own the property after its Board of Trustees firmly decided against it in 1985.

2019 Trail Map of the Arboretum by Clark's School of Geography.

Today the Hadwen Arboretum is a valuable community resource, offering both students and neighbors a green space for recreation. The variety of species on the property provide an opportunity for ecological research and education.

For Arbor Day 2019, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation completed a restoration effort within the site. A sign de-marking the "Magnolia Trail" was established in 2019 by Clark's School of Geography, along with their ongoing effort to inventory the many species of trees.

Ecology

The Hadwen Arboretum contains specimen trees over a century old, including species such as the fernleaf beech, Japanese maple, and dawn redwood that were originally planted by Hadwen. Spring wildflowers are also of note, including bloodroot and blue squill. Invasive species, such as Japanese knotweed and burning bush, have rapidly proliferated in recent years.

Birds of prey such as red-tailed hawks and barred owls have been recorded spending extended periods of time roosting within the site. A wide variety of migratory songbirds can be found during spring, while multiple species of woodpecker overwinter. Striped skunks and Eastern cottontails are present as well.

The Arboretum Advocates

The Arboretum Advocates of Clark University is a student-run organization “dedicated to preserving the Hadwen Arboretum as a safe and vibrant outdoor space for all to enjoy.'' The group works to bring awareness and visitors to the space through nature walks and cleanups. They successfully completed a project in 2018 to establish an informational kiosk at the corner of May and Lovell St.

gollark: GMT-11?
gollark: Aren't lots of radio antennas *omnidirectional*?
gollark: Huh? What?
gollark: I ported Minoteaur, my old notes thing, to SQLite, for basically no good reason, and have implemented search at last.
gollark: Also, I work mostly on web stuff, so it doesn't type back, it... renders... back.

References
  1. Burgess, Robert (27 November 2019). "A Grove of Urban Trees: Preserving Hadwen Arboretum in Worcester". Tower Hill Botanic Garden. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  2. Trexler, John W. (2017). Tower Hill: The first Twenty-Five Years. TidePool Press. ISBN 978-0-9978482-1-2.
  3. He, Jixian, Olivia Bourque, and Phong Bui. "Clark’s Arboretum." The Sustainable University: Sustainability & the Role of Higher Education: 28.

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