The Arboretum at the University of Guelph was home to a Skyjack boom lift earlier this month, to help with the harvest of tree seeds. Seeds from our ‘living gene banks’ of rare and at-risk species were ready for harvest, but many of the trees are too tall to access using traditional equipment. Skyjack’s generous loan of a lift for a few days this fall was a significant contribution to our seed collecting efforts.

Cherry Birch, Blue Ash, Cucumber Tree, Pawpaw...these weird and wonderful trees are just a few of the rare or endangered Ontario species that have a home in The Arboretum’s living gene banks as part of our Rare Woody Plants of Ontario Program. These special collections of living specimens, of more than 20 different kinds of tree, are designed to help preserve not only the trees themselves but the genetic diversity of each species as a whole.

Trees operate on long time scales. It has taken decades for some of our gene bank trees to mature and start to produce seed. The seed is used to grow new trees not only for Arboretum use, but for nurseries, conservation organizations, and for archiving at government facilities.