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The most impressive collection of Metasequoias in my research grows at Princeton. Princeton is a magnificent, prestigious university located in between Philadelphia and New York City. It is renowned worldwide and has superb programs in the sciences and the I was shocked and amazed at what he had said. This meant that I might be able to visit the old house of Dr. Merrill, the former Director of the Arnold Arboretum - what an honor. I quickly emailed the Princeton professor, and he welcomed me and said that I would be most certainly invited to the university and his house to check out the Metasequoias at both locations. |
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I arrived on a hot and muggy day in mid-August. I had planned to meet up with the Director of Grounds at Princeton, who agreed to show me around campus. First I stopped by the Geology Professors office and got directions to his house. At that point he told me that in fact, it was a mix up. The Harvard Professor had led me astray and while there were old Regardless, I was pleased to be walking around Princeton checking out the campus and its beautiful architecture and plant life. It is truly an amazing place, even fit with two buildings that look exactly like Greek temples. I walked over to the Prospect Park area of campus, to look at the most famous Metasequoia. After photographing it, I met up with the Director of Grounds, and he very hospitably showed me around campus. He took me to the Broadmead Grove, where there were many more Metasequoias. We walked around and he showed me the additional places where the trees were. Lastly, he gave me an extremely informative and important packet of papers from Professor Emeritus John Kuser of Cook College of Rutgers University, including measurements of the Metasequoias at Princeton that he had taken in 1997. It was an extremely important acquisition, one that helped me very much in my research. Included in the documents were measurements that Professor Kuser had taken in 1997. I added eight feet of height and three inches of DBH to these totals, which are a conservative approximation of growth since 1997. Among the 41 total Metasequoias on campus, Kuser measured the seven most impressive ones, which are the ones that are sampled in this study. The Prospect Park tree has a very impressive base because it is not in a cluster of trees. Meanwhile, those at Broadmead are typically taller and smaller at the base, because they are more packed in. Accordingly they must grow up, not out, in order to receive light and nutrients. They were received from the Arnold Arboretum and planted in 1955. These trees at Broadmead vary from 117 to 133 feet in height, with bases 33 to 40 inches. The Number Four tree in my Top Ten is at 133 feet tall with a base 36 inches in diameter. Another tree is 123 feet tall with a base 38 inches in diameter. These trees represent some of the best of the best in the United States. Princeton University scored as the best site in my Average Ratings map, with a collection of trees unparalleled in their overall size. It holds the best Metasequoias in the New Jersey region, even surpassing the Morris Arboretum. Princeton University Washington Road Princeton, NJ 08540 |
arts. Princeton is in central New Jersey, and has a distinctive grounds keeping department that strives to keep the campus as beautiful as it is famous.
Metasequoias at his house, it was not Dr. Merrill that lived there but in fact a pair of brothers who were botanists. He said, while chuckling, that now I understood that there were mistakes like this made even in Ivy League institutions.
The largest one of these is the Prospect Park tree received from the Arnold Arboretum and planted in 1948. It is 116 feet tall with a base 57 inches in diameter! This is one of the more balanced numbers in my study, a tree with both very solid height and a huge base. Seeing it in person, I must admit it is both stunning and taken care of very well, courtesy the grounds crew at Princeton. This tree, along with three others at the Broadmead Grove, are four of the 