WINONA, Minn. This has been extracted from an essay, “Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend,” by Jim Reynolds, campus arboretum co-founder, and Tom Hoffmann, arboretum committee member.

“It is appropriate that public acknowledgement be given to this century-tree whose long life served witness to over 70% of WSU’s 162-year history.  When it was a seedling in about 1905, Winona State Normal School had a total enrollment of about 604 with 24 faculty, compared to 2019-20 with about 7,600 students and 465 faculty. The Normal School in 1905 was primarily a teacher training school which graduated about 139 students with two-year teaching certificates that year, compared to today when Winona State University provides comprehensive undergraduate and graduate education producing about 1,600 graduates in 2019-20 from five colleges and 97 programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. The physical campus in the early 1900s consisted of one building compared to today where the main campus has about 24 buildings on approximately 40 acres including an athletic field. This grand-old tree has served as a silent witness to the growth and development of WSU’s educational legacy.

“This Hackberry tree has also served as a provider of habitat and food for birds, butterflies, squirrels, and insects, as well as of wellness opportunities for campus inhabitants. The berries produced attracted cedar waxwings and robins, the leaves provided food for caterpillars prior to them becoming butterflies, and the branches provided nesting sites for birds and squirrels to flit and scurry about as part of the campus community. As well, the tree, along with the other trees and plants in WSU’s arboretum, provided daily opportunities for ‘green therapy’ to campus users experiencing a host of routine forms of stress and anxiety.  Simply by taking a regular walk and being present in the moment with all of the senses alert when viewing the trees, gardens and ornamental grasses that make up the campus landscape, feelings of well-being, health, happiness and harmony can be restored. Similar thoughts are expressed by Dr. Qing Li, M.D. when he advocates the Japanese practice of ‘forest bathing’ or ‘shinrin-yoku.’  Boost your happiness factor by taking a regular walk in the campus arboretum in the spring, summer and fall seasons and let the greenery surrounding you work its magic.

“The campus hackberry tree (celtis occidentalis) has been a benefactor too! Its 73-foot height, 34-inch diameter, and 107-inch circumference has sequestered 5,236 gallons of rain and snow runoff each year. Doing so, the tree has helped to trap pollutants like chemicals, gas, salts and litter, and reduce soil erosion during heavy rain events by storing this water in its roots, trunk, branches and leaves. Of course, improving air quality by absorbing pollutants like nitrous dioxide and sulfur dioxide, intercepting air-born particulate matter and producing oxygen through photosynthesis has benefited both the campus and community as well. Finally, this Hackberry tree has stored 1,365 pounds of carbon dioxide in its mass per year, thus helping reduce a greenhouse gas that adds to the climate-change problem being experienced locally and world-wide.  All these gifts from just one of the more that 1,500 trees making up the campus arboretum.”