Oak ecosystems are declining across the Midwest. The Arboretum is undertaking research and restoration initiatives to find ways to combat these declines.
Completing threat assessments for key tree groups to prioritize species for conservation and enable policymakers and conservation practitioners to protect threatened trees.
Midwestern forests are a “hot spot” for nitrogen deposition - a pervasive, and perhaps irreparable, anthropogenic global change phenomena. Could this be driving declines in oak regeneration across Chicagoland?
Locating, prioritizing, and proposing amendments to spatial and genetic gaps within ex-situ collections of native U.S. oaks, towards the continued security of each species.
We are using DNA data to further understand the reproductive biology of an under-studied oak, Quercus havardii, which will help inform seed collection strategies and collection management.
We collected acorns from across the range of Quercus havardii and distributed them to partner gardens to grow, research, and showcase this unique oak to the public.
We are quantifying the number of plants and seeds needed to best preserve genetic variation of 10 species of threatened trees in botanical gardens, which will be models for future seed collections.
Working with partners from multiple sectors in Latin America to research and protect threatened tree species, and advance tree conservation across the region
