Preserving the Historic Arboretum
The Friends have undertaken the first steps in a long-term project to preserve and replenish the Historic Arboretum of trees throughout the campus of the former State Hospital. The park-like setting of the arboretum is a vital part of the property’s historic character. By caring for these trees today, we’re helping protect the legacy of this special place for generations to come.
The first superintendent of the Hospital, Dr. James Decker Munson, had a vision to enhance the natural setting for the benefit of the patients. His vision included the planting of many trees that became the arboretum - part of the hospital’s “therapeutic landscape” - connecting architecture and the land; viewing nature as a restorative influence.
As Dr. Munson traveled throughout the US, he sent back many unique trees and plants for the hospital grounds. About 500 trees of varying species, some rare to the area, are part of the arboretum. These trees are more than 80 years old on average, and many have already outlived their life-expectancy.
What we’ve done so far to preserve Dr. Munson’s legacy . . .
In 2021 with the help of Davey Tree Service, funded by donations and grants from individual donors, Traverse City Rotary Club’s Good Works Fund, and the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, 465 Trees within the Historic Arboretum at the Grand Traverse Commons were catalogued.
In 2022, with funding from supportive donors and a Rotary Charities Seed Grant, the Friends commissioned Schillinger Forestry to undertake a more extensive—tree-by-tree—survey with greater detail about each tree’s health and specific recommendations for each tree’s future maintenance. That survey was completed in the Spring of 2023.
The Friends shared the complete data set from the comprehensive survey with all the property owners around the Commons (the Village, Women’s Resource Center, Pavilions, etc.).
What we’re currently working on . . .
Restoring the Grand Allee of Sugar Maples that frame the entrance to the hospital.
Installing signs in the Arboretum to identify the type of trees, and if appropriate, why they are historically or botanically important.
Mulching.
Cloning, grafting and replanting lost or dying trees.
