UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A 33-foot White Oak Believed To Be Between 35 And 40 Years Old Was Transported From A Nursery In Lancaster County March 21 And Planted In A Strategic Location At The Arboretum At Penn State As A "witness Tree" To Oversee The Tract's Development.

Preparations For Moving The Witness Tree From Green Acres Nursery In Lititz Began In 2001. The Tree Was Donated By Nursery Owner And Penn State Alumnus George Biemesderfer To H

"The transplanting of the witness tree went off without a hitch," says Kim Steiner, professor of forest biology and director of the arboretum. "Jim Sellmer, associate professor of horticulture, Jeff Dice, supervisor of grounds maintenance with the Office of Physical Plant, and Jeff's crew deserve a lot of credit. The transplanting of the tree -- which weighed about 14 tons with its 9-foot root ball -- was done with the help of a 50-ton crane and backhoe.

"In 100 years, the Hosler Oak will be an icon of The Arboretum at Penn State," Steiner continued. "It is expected to become a prominent feature of the arboretum landscape. This tree will eventually become 80 to 100 feet tall with a trunk 3 to 4 feet in diameter and a spreading crown form so typically seen on old, open-grown white oaks in the central Pennsylvania countryside. White oak is slow-growing, but long-lived, capable of reaching up to 500 years of age."

It took two days to dig up and prepare the tree to travel on a flatbed truck and be transplanted to the 395-acre arboretum. The tree, which has a diameter of 14 inches about a foot above the ground, is believed to be the largest tree to be planted on the Centre County campus since two elms were placed at the front corners of Old Main in 1933.

"As the arboretum receives donations, the land surrounding the witness tree will be filled with demonstration and specialty gardens, a conservatory, an education center and special features such as a pond and fountain, an overlook pavilion facing Big Hollow, and a children's education center," says Steiner. "In front of the venerable Hosler Oak will be a 1¼-acre event lawn for festivals, plant sales, garden shows and receptions."

The arboretum eventually will stretch from Park Avenue through Big Hollow and out to the Mt. Nittany Expressway (soon-to-be I-99). The Hosler Oak is called the arboretum's "witness tree" because it is being planted near the ridge in the middle of the tract where it will "witness" the development of the landscape and botanic gardens around it. A witness tree is analogous to the cornerstone of a major building.

For more information about The Arboretum at Penn State, visit the Web at http://www.arboretum.psu.edu/.

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EDITORS: Contact Kim Steiner at 814-865-9351 or by e-mail at kcs@psu.edu. High-resolution photos suitable for printing to accompany this story can be obtained by e-mailing a request to jjm29@psu.edu.

Jeff Mulhollem Office 814-863-2719 FAX 814-863-9877