As students walk between classes or head to Starbucks in the library, they are passing by a living, breathing museum every day that is preserved as part of the Fresno State Arboretum.
The Arboretum, established in 1978, is a collection of more than 100 different specimens with over 1,000 different species on campus. There are three guided tours throughout Fresno State called “Treewalks” — paths that showcase native and foreign trees that wrap around various areas on campus.
“One of the advantages for the campus is that there are over 2,000 trees on this campus,” said Mike Mosinski, the new grounds manager of the plant operations department. “For a student, for a community member studying about trees that may be non-native…where else can you see that?”
The Arboretum contains a mixture of native and non-native trees from almost every continent in the world, including places such as Kenya, Japan and Iran.
After being inactive for several years, the campus Arboretum committee was recently reinstated. Mosinski will be chairman of the committee, comprised of staff and faculty members, that will start meeting again this fall.
One of the main missions of the Arboretum is to be a “Living Laboratory” for students studying fields such as botany, ecology or entomology.
Many native and foreign trees are labeled drought tolerant, an important feature considering the current crisis that is felt throughout the state. In light of this, Mosinski said some trees may not be able to handle the lack of water.
“I would say there are some species of trees, for example some of the areas with redwood trees, that are struggling now,” said Mosinski. “They’re shallow roots, so they need a lot of water.”
Mosinski says that plant operations has been managing and monitoring their water usage to ensure they don’t overuse or waste water, but if the drought situation continues in the following years, parts of the Arboretum might be affected.
Mosinski said for some high-water-use trees, “there may be a point where they have to be phased out.”
The plant operations department has begun to incorporate more sustainable features of the grounds on campus, including a “Water Wise Garden,” which would help cut water usage while also keeping the area aesthetically pleasing. This initiative was created in conjunction with the Sustainability Project, a program comprised of students and staff.
