2015 Annual Report

Mission Statement To maintain and improve Hoyt Arboretum and its collection for all people through advocacy, resources, awareness and education. Hoyt Arboretum relies on the support of Hoyt Arboretum Friends, a membership-based non- profit organization working in partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation. 2015 Annual Report From the Board President and Executive Director Dear Hoyt Arboretum Friends, Thanks to you, Hoyt Arboretum Friends Foundation had a very productive year making significant improvements to Hoyt Arboretum. In 2015 we repaved a portion of the crumbling ADA Overlook Trail, funded much-needed storm- damage repairs, gave $12,000 to the curator’s Tree Fund for seedling procurement and maintenance and purchased a laser engraving machine to improve collection signage. We purchased spe- cialized camera equipment for research and plant identification and installed Hoyt Arboretum’s first weather station to monitor climate trends and compare those trends to plant health. Because you care about global conservation, education, research and urban green spaces, HAF membership grew to 809 and contributed income increased by 18%. This increased funding allowed HAF to meet our financial goal of a balanced budget with six months of operating reserves and in- crease our volunteer & education coordinator position from quarter to half-time. We also engaged a professional environmental educator to finalize the creation of the Tree Buddies Club youth environmental education program that can now be offered to elementary schools. Looking ahead to 2016 we will utilize your very generous donations to install an irrigation system around Stevens Pavilion as well as interpretive signage and artwork in the new Bamboo Forest that will open to the public in July. A Portland street tree research and display collection will be planted, citizen scientists will study orchids and pollination, and a major restoration of the Red pine collection will begin. Through your financial and volunteer support we have worked together to steward Hoyt Arboretum - Portland’s museum of living trees. But we have so much more to do to enhance the arboretum’s relevance to the region and global arboricul- ture community. It takes all of us - members, donors, volunteers, board and staff to nurture this special place. With your help, we can do this! With our deepest appreciation for your investment in conservation and helping Hoyt Arboretum grow, Most gratefully, Keith Dubanevich Peggie Schwarz President Executive Director Cover photo: Girl Scouts volunteered at Parke Diem and became Tree Buddies by participating in this Dirty Hands Kid’s Crew. Hoyt Arboretum Friends Staff Portland Parks & Recreation Staff Peggie Schwarz Executive Director Martin Nicholson Curator Becky Schreiber Communications & Office Manager Mark McKinney Horticulturist Lorraine Brooks Volunteer & Education Coordinator Erin Riggs Taxonomist Page 1 Accomplishments Collections Procured 860 new plants and planted 220 seedlings Repaved a portion of the crumbling ADA Overlook Trail Funded $14,000 of tree maintenance expenses and storm-damage repair Purchased a laser engraving machine to improve collection signage Purchased specialty camera equipment for research and plant identification Purchased Hoyt Arboretum’s first weather station Replaced Hoyt Arboretum entrance signs Fundraising and Stewardship The newly repaved ADA Overlook Trail. Increased membership by 5% to a record high of 809 Increased net assets by $41,100 Increased earned and contributed revenue by 14% Built financial reserves to the recommended six months of operating expenses Raised a record $90,000 at the Forage in the Forest event Increased Willamette Week Give!Guide donations by 28.5% Education Secured funding from the ESCO Foundation for the creation of the Tree Buddies Club activity booklet, student scholarships and transportation Guests from platinum sponsor Collier Arbor Recruited and trained 13 new kid’s tour guides Care, A Division of Bartlett Tree Experts, Initiated 281 kids into the Tree Buddies youth environmental education attend the third annual Forage in the Forest. Photo by Trygve Steen. club Installed 32 signs throughout the arboretum identifying HAF-funded pro- jects Volunteerism Set the city-wide record hosting 149 volunteers for Portland Parks Foundation’s Parke Diem volunteer event Credited 879 volunteers for 10,783 hours of service valued at $240,000 Welcomed a record 95 arborists from 30 companies at Arborists in the Arboretum for a collective 2,850 hours of tree maintenance Administration and Governance Added a part-time volunteer and education coordinator to the HAF staff Hoyt Arboretum hosted a record setting 149 Added Meg Bishop as the a fifth member of the Advisory Council volunteers during Parke Diem. Redesigned the HAF membership program Received pro-bono services from the Oregon Development Network to initiate a board evaluation that garnered posi- tive reviews for the board and staff: “…the (ODN) team is fully confident of the capacity, energy and motivation within the board and staff to successfully move forward… Page 2 From the Curator 2015 will be remembered for two major weather events. First there was the long hot summer, which followed the very dry winter of 2014/15. Then there was the torrential rain that finished out the year and has left a permanent mark on the arboretum’s landscape. On December 7, 2015, we received 2.04 inches of rain, which caused a landslide below Fairview Blvd that closed the Fir and Redwood Trails for a short time. The repair work on that slide will not occur until summer 2016 after the slope has stabilized. December was the wettest on record with a total rainfall of 13.65”, which was more than the entire calendar year up to December 1. Even though the weather was challenging, more plants were added to the collection in 2015 than any year since the arboretum’s creation. 860 living plants and 691 herbarium vouchers (archival specimens) were added. The herbarium work continues to validate our collection with verified current nomenclature added to the existing plants in our database (hoytarboretum.gardenexplorer.org). As herbarium vouchers are added, our database records are updated with correct- ed names as well as conservation status, provenance and general information about the species. Plants are added to the nursery and also planted directly in the field. This year 220 plants were added to the grounds, including renovation work done at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Winter Garden and a new Abies cultivar collection planted to screen the brush pile area. Many new rare specimens were also planted to test their horticultural merit. These were Acer kawakami, Nyssa aff. shweliensis, Pterostyrax psilophyllus, Huodendron tibeticum and Plagianthus regius. The nursery also added some interesting smaller plant material from seed and cuttings of rare material. Most of these plants will need to grow for one or two additional seasons before being planted in the arboretum. Currently in the nursery are six new magnolia species and ten species of maple along with some new and replacement gymnosperms. Removals, deaths and nursery culls amounted to 130 plants this year. Some were due to the dry conditions in the spring which resulted in poor establishment, though some cold damage also occurred due to a sharp drop in temperatures to around 25 degrees in mid-November 2014. As plant material was not hardened off adequately (the process of acclimat- ing plants to outdoor temperatures), some cold damage occurred. The PP&R staff at the arboretum would like to extend our thanks to the many ongoing and one-time volunteers that con- tinue to support our work. From citizen scientists, herbarium archivists, tour guides, trail rovers, gardeners and ivy pull- ers, Hoyt Arboretum would not be the same without you. Thank you for your support through another fantastic year. Martin Nicholson Curator Volunteers helped remove invasive species from the arboretum during an Earth Day work crew. Photo by Brittany Ahn. Page 3 From the Curator Total Additions in 2015: 860 Total Removals/Losses in 2015: 130 A few of the interesting plants we added in 2015: Abies cultivar collection Acer kawakami Huodendron tibeticum Nyssa aff. Shweliensis Plagianthus regius Pterostyrax psilophyllus December rain triggered a landslide below Fairview Blvd, which temporarily blocked the Fir and Redwood Trails. From left to right: Huodendron tibeticum seedling, Acer sp unknown, Acer sikkimense new growth Page 4 Volunteers On behalf of everyone who uses and enjoys Hoyt Arboretum, we extend a resounding THANK YOU to the 879 volunteers who donated 10,783 hours of their time and talents to the arboretum! This work could not be done without you! Volunteers play a huge role in helping Hoyt Arboretum grow! In 2015, volunteer work crews helped keep the arboretum’s trails open after landslides and downed trees that were caused by December’s record rainfall. Visitor center volunteers provided information to guests from around the world. Volunteer tour guides led adults and children alike through the arboretum, while trail rovers answered questions for visitors along the trails. Volunteer support for HAF enables us to: Staff the Visitor Center providing information on trails and seasonal high- 95 arborists from around the lights Portland metro area volunteered at Maintain 189 acres of trails and trees Arborists in the Arboretum in 2015. Photo by Linda O’Conner. Lead educational tours for adults and children Represent Hoyt Arboretum Friends at events Provide information for visitors along the trails of the arboretum Teach classes Lorraine Brooks Volunteer & Education Coordinator 879 HAF Volunteers Donated 10,783 Hours in 2015 Page 5 Volunteers Volunteer Spotlight Citizen Science Orchid Research: In the second year of the project, citizen scientists helped design plot treatments and collected data. In 2016, they plan on continuing to identify species, especially grass species, and creating voucher specimens for grasses and orchids. They also hope to collect seeds from Hoyt Arboretum site and throughout the Willamette Valley.

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