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Delaware State University (DESU) and Dover, Delaware is one of two sites in my research that actually consists of two different places. The other one is the Secrest Arboretum & Wooster, Ohio. In both cases trees were recorded at a local university or arboretum and various other places around the town or city as well. In both examples an individual recorded Metasequoia data for this study, truly a wondrous and virtuous task. Dr. Susan Yost, the Claude E. Phillips Herbarium Educator at DESU, obtained the data. Dover, Delaware is the most southern site in the Delaware Valley region in this study. Its climate is the Outer Coastal Plain region, which is more tropical than the Eastern broadleaf oceanic forest north of it. Dover is in Hardiness Zone 7, which is a temperate-tropical zone. Winds are light, precipitation is average, and the dominant soil order is Entisols. |
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The Metasequoias in Dover grew well. Data from a total of seven trees were collected. There is one tree on the DESU campus, on the east side of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Building, that was planted by Dr. Norman Dill, Professor Emeritus of DESU’s Dept. of Agriculture around 1970 shortly after the building was built. It was bought from Sears Roebuck, for $12.98. Currently, this Sears tree is 80 feet tall with a base 32 inches in diameter. Clearly this was an excellent deal. Other trees around Dover were also planted in the early and mid 1960s, apparently in a shipment of thirteen trees to the City. They range from 75 to 100 feet tall, with bases 22 to 37 inches in diameter. Of these one is on the east side of City Hall downtown, another is on “The Green” in Dover, and a third is across from 433 Pear Street. So that should help on your Metasequoia scavenger hunt around Dover. This data is of particular significance for two reasons. First, Metasequoias grow well in the Delaware Valley region. These are trees that can grow tall in a short period of time in a variety of conditions. They are flexible and able to withstand changes. While these trees are not the most outstanding in the region, they represent a solid, if not strong, showing. Secondly, this Dover story is another testament to the power that these trees hold over people. Taking the time and effort to dedicate ones self to a cause beyond that self is honorable and worth mentioning. I am thankful for these efforts, and I am glad that this particular story is being told.Delaware State University 1200 DuPont Highway Dover, DE 19901 |
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