Celebrate Arbor Day at Holden Forests & Gardens

Celebrate Arbor Day at Holden Forests & Gardens

Holden Forests & Gardens will recognize reaching its 5-year goal of planting and caring for 15,000 trees in Northeast Ohio with a special People for Trees celebration Arbor Day Week (April 21-26).
The celebration includes free admission days, talks with People for Trees volunteers, tours and special events.
]Celebration Week! Holden Forests & Gardens celebrates the planting and care of trees every day of the year, but especially during April when spring is in the air. During Arbor Day week (April 21 – 26), HF&G is sharing how we are making an impact through guided tours with our experts, free admission days, talks with our People for Trees volunteers, and more. Join us in a celebration of all things trees.
Launched in 2021 as a movement to empower private landowners to contribute to the reforestation of urban and suburban areas, the People for Trees campaign garnered widespread support, reinforcing the importance of trees in enhancing air quality, mitigating climate change, and improving overall community well-being. Thousands of individuals joined the campaign by pledging and planting trees, strengthening Northeast Ohio’s urban and suburban forests.
Arbor Day Week events include:
TREE TOURS
Learn more about Holden Forests & Gardens’ research, conservation and community forestry work through free guided tours. Space is limited, registration required. Tree Tour Registration.
  • Long Science Center Behind-the-Scenes Tour with Dr. Danny Dlugos, Monday, April 21, 10 – 11 a.m., Long Center for Plant and Environmental Science
  • How Global Changes Threaten Biodiversity with Dr. Katie Stuble, Tues., April 22, 10 a.m. – noon, Bole Woods
Hike with Dr. Katie Stuble and learn how HF&G scientists’ study of biodiversity threats – agricultural land use history, invasive species, and deer herbivory – have contributed to the study of global change phenomena. Guests will learn about research conducted in the Arboretum’s Bole Woods, a mature old-growth forest. Registrants will meet at the Long Center for Plant and Environmental Science.
  • Working Woods Behind-the-Scenes Tour with Rebecah Troutman, Wed. April 23, 10 – 11 a.m. and Sat., April 26, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., Working Woods Learning Forest
The Working Woods Learning Forest is a 67-acre, nationally recognized, publicly accessible demonstration site at the Holden Arboretum. This forest integrates research and outreach to increase understanding of and promote best practices in forest management. Working Woods seeks to empower people to manage, protect, and create resilient forests in Ohio. Registrants will meet at Working Woods parking loop.
  • Spring Phenology with Dr. Katie Stuble, Sat., April 26, 1 – 2 p.m., Holden Arboretum Wildflower Garden
Plant phenology is very responsive to environmental cues like temperature, weather, and light availability. Watching the ephemerals and forest canopy can clue us in to important ecosystem changes due to climate change. Learn more about the important data that Dr. Katie Stuble and her team of volunteers have been collecting by monitoring spring leaf out in the forest canopy in relation to the emergence and flowering of spring ephemeral wildflowers in the forest understory. Registrants will meet at the HF&G Welcome Tent in Greensward Lawn.
  • Rhododendron Tour with Connor Ryan, Sat., April 26, 3 – 4 p.m., Holden Arboretum Layer Garden
Explore one of HF&G’s largest and most beautiful plant collections with Rhododendron Collections Manager Connor Ryan. While strolling through the garden, Connor will share the history of the collection as well as scientific and conservation activities the rhododendron collection supports. He will also talk about the care and use of rhododendrons and related plants in the home garden. Registrants will meet at the HF&G Welcome Tent in Greensward Lawn.
CLEVELAND BOTANICAL GARDEN COMMUNITY DAY – FRIDAY., APRIL 25
Events run from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. with free admission,  giveaways, music, free seedlings for the first 300 households, and more.  Visit holdenfg.org for a full schedule.
HOLDEN ARBORETUM OPEN HOUSE – SAT., APRIL 26
Immerse yourself in a day of nature exploration, entertainment, and community fun at the Arboretum Open House, with activities running from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Free admission, a seedling giveaway for the first 500 households, crafts, guided tours (registration required), and a talk with staff experts. Bring seeds to share at a seed swap. The event includes stilt walkers and food trucks.
FREE ADMISSION – Holden Forests & Gardens is offering free admission to the Cleveland Botanical Garden on Friday, April 25 from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. and free admission to the Holden Arboretum on Sat., April 26 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Bring family, friends, or just yourself to enjoy a day immersed in nature at either campus. Advance tickets are not required.
SEEDLING GIVEAWAY – Silky Dogwood, Cornus amomum, is an adaptable shrub native to Ohio. Its flowers attract diverse and beneficial pollinators, and its fruit is highly favored by songbirds — it is the perfect plant to add to your home landscape. The seedling giveaway at Cleveland Botanical Garden will take place from 2 – 8 p.m. on Friday, April 25, while supplies last. The Holden Arboretum seedling giveaway is available from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, while supplies last.
Photo: Silky Dogwood. Courtesy Holden Forests & Gardens

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