Arnold Arboretum

As climate change leads to increased temperatures and extreme weather patterns, drought is becoming more and more of a concern at the Arboretum. Staff have been working hard to install irrigation systems around the landscape since the record-breaking drought of 2016, working to increase the resiliency of our collections to periods of drought and dry weather, and this fall represents one of the biggest irrigation projects yet. Join Head of Operations and Project Management Danny Schissler and Head Operator Jed Romanowiz to learn how the Arboretum keeps trees watered in areas without irrigation, the Arboretum’s plans for new irrigation installations, and how all of these systems actually work.

Did you know that the Weld Hill Research Building at the Arboretum has the largest geothermal heating system at Harvard? There are 88 wells hidden under the namesake hill which help heat and cool the state-of-the-art research building. Join Head of Operations and Project Management Danny Schissler for a behind-the-scenes look at this fascinating system.

This tour will be a mix of indoors and outdoors.