Join the REP Waste Campaign: Get Recycling Savvy and Play Our Sorting Game

A warming climate and increasing environmental pathogens pose an existential threat to the Arboretum’s collection of some 16,000 woody plants, trees and shrubs that are able to survive in our climate. This one hour walk will highlight the impact of climate change and increasing pathogens on key species in the Arboretum’s collection, describe some of the research initiatives underway to mitigate the effects of global warming and new pathogens, and identify the challenges and opportunities we face in improving our urban canopy.

Frederick Law Olmsted, considered the father of landscape architecture, designed some 500 public spaces in North America. The Arnold Arboretum is the only arboretum he designed, a National Historic Landmark, and a model for others around the world. Docent Bill Beizer, will identify the elements of the Arboretum that best reflect Olmsted’s philosophy and approach to landscape design.

Accessibility: This program will take place entirely on paved roads.

Audience: This program is geared towards adults.

Inclement weather policy: Tours will be canceled in cases of the following weather conditions: severe wind, snow, ice, thunder or lightning events; temperatures over 90 degrees; and temperatures below 20 degrees. Tours may be canceled due to other weather events at the discretion of Arboretum staff. In the case of cancelation, you will be contacted by Arboretum staff no later than 2 hours before the start of the event. If you have questions about the status of a program, please email publicprograms@arnarb.harvard.edu or call the Visitor Center desk between 10:00am and 4:00pm at (617) 384-5209.

This is a virtual talk held over Zoom.

We know that trees are a key ally in the fight against climate change and urban heat islands, but not every tree works in every situation. Selecting the right tree for your yard or landscape is critical both for the health of the tree and for the strength of the ecosystem services they provide. Botanist and researcher Henrik Sjöman’s new book, “The Essential Tree Selection Guide,” is a valuable new tool for making these tree selection decisions: an A to Z guide of over 550 trees, the book comes complete with explanations of each tree’s ecosystem benefits, its resilience to drought and storms, and key considerations for site placement. Join us on December 8 for a virtual book talk on this invaluable new guide.

Author Henrik Sjöman is Senior Researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Scientific Curator at Gothenburg Botanical Garden, and Honorary Research Associate at Kew Gardens.

Accessibility: This program is held virtually.

Audience: This program is geared towards adults.

The conifer collection at the Arnold Arboretum is a magical place to visit at any time of the year, as it is especially rich in history and diversity. Docent Cristina Squeff will lead participants through this collection explaining key identification features and sharing relevant stories about individual trees.

Join the Resource Efficiency Program’s Winterization Campaign.

Salata Scholars Seminars are dedicated to climate, sustainability, and environmental work done by Harvard students and fellows. Its goal is to embrace the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability research that can’t be confined to a single Harvard school and help like-minded people connect with each other. Each week, there will be one or two brief talks followed by vegan dinner and discussion.

Greenwashed Groceries
Erin O’Dwyer, T.H. Chan School of Public Health, PhD Candidate in Population Health Sciences

A Harvard-China Project Research Seminar with Yu Zhao, Professor, School of Environment, Nanjing University; Alumnus (Postdoctoral Fellow) and Collaborator, Harvard-China Project

Speaker Bio: Dr. Yu Zhao is a Professor in the School of Environment at Nanjing University. His research interests include the quantification and evaluation of air pollutant emissions with multiple measures; analysis of regional and city air quality and its improvement strategy; and assessment of ecological and environmental health effects from energy and climate policies and air pollutant emission controls. He is a former postdoctoral fellow in the Harvard Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and additionally held a research assistantship at the International Institute of Applied System and Analysis, Austria. He is the receipient of the Second-class Award of Jiangsu Provincial Science and Technology Prize and the National Outstanding Ph.D Dissertation Award.