Situated in the center of one of the nation's most heavily forested states, in the midst of a location so full of greenery that it seems created by a Hollywood set designer, Penn State is missing a certain something.

Big trees? Rare plants? Palm trees? No, we've got all that, except the palm trees. What Penn State lacks is, according to Webster's Dictionary, a "place where trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific and educational purposes": an arboretum.

This artist's conception shows Penn State's state-of-the-art arboretum. The facility, to be built on a 395-acre tract near Beaver Stadium, will feature demonstration and theme gardens, a conservatory, a small ampitheatre, and a large forest tract.

Of the 11 Big Ten universities, only Penn State, Northwestern University, and the University of Iowa do not have such an area set apart for the study of plants. But that's going to change. "People think of arboretums as large parks with labeled trees," says forest scientist Kim Steiner, recently appointed as director of Penn State's initiative to create a new arboretum on a 395-acre tract near Beaver Stadium over a period of a decade or so. "We view the arboretum as a facility that will be dedicated to teaching, research, and outreach and extension on such themes as biodiversity, conservation, environmentally compatible uses of landscapes, and the restoration of degraded forests and fields. It also will be a very beautiful cultural amenity for the University."

Steiner and other University faculty say the proposed project will incorporate existing research facilities and new educational areas into an aesthetically and scientifically pleasing package. According to the plan, two existing facilities, the Penn State Trial Gardens and the Joseph Valentine Turfgrass Research Center, will be relocated to the arboretum. In addition, the arboretum will feature thematic display gardens, demonstration gardens and orchards, a conservatory and greenhouses, a small amphitheater for outdoor performances, a bike trail along the old Bellefonte Central Railroad bed, and restored forest and prairie communities. Among the gardens planned will be plots dedicated to vegetables, herbs, perennials, shade-friendly plants, butterfly gardening, and a recreation of the formal manor garden that once graced the campus at the Botany Building near Old Main.

"Penn Staters graduate with fond memories that often are tied to specific areas of campus," Steiner says. "I can see the arboretum becoming a place that will not only attract visitors, but also will be a place where alumni and former residents return to favorite places of their youth, perhaps to celebrate an anniversary or personal event."

While hosting rites of passage is important, Steiner emphasizes that the arboretum will be first and foremost an educational tool. The facility will feature an education center that includes a reception area, classrooms, meeting rooms, a 150-seat auditorium, display space, and an outdoor patio garden for gatherings, displays, and arts performances. "The arboretum will be a perfect site for conferences or any extension or outreach activity involving agriculture, other environ- mental topics, or landscape study," Steiner says. "It also can serve as a catalyst for these type of events."

Penn State's relatively late start on its arboretum also can be seen as an advantage. Most older arboreta were planted in designs that were fashionable at the time but are no longer supportive of contemporary science and education programs. "Today, scientists study plants in their natural habitats, and it is less important to have them grouped artificially according to taxonomic relationship," Steiner says. "We have a chance to build a completely modern arboretum."

Landscape and nursery owners across the state say a centrally located arboretum also will serve a vital function for testing new plant species and cultivars in Pennsylvania soils and climatic conditions. A map pinpointing all the botanical gardens in the state shows about 10 facilities near Philadelphia and a few public gardens in and around Pittsburgh, with a vast void in between. In addition, a large portion of the state lies within a single climatic zone, save for a small swath in several northern counties and the southeastern portion of the state, including Philadelphia.

"There's no facility outside of Philadelphia that can take a high-level critical look at plant varieties," says Dan Eichenlaub, president of Eichenlaub Landscaping, a Pittsburgh-based landscaping firm employing 50 people. "An arboretum in central Pennsylvania can provide research and development for an industry that is highly segmented, yet generates billions of dollars in revenues."

"A central arboretum in Zone VI will allow the industry to assess the performance of new hybrids and new varieties of plants," says Dennis Burd, who graduated from the college in 1968 with degrees in agricultural education and ornamental horticulture. Burd is president of Country Market Nursery, a nursery-landscape operation with locations in Mechanicsburg and Hershey. "Take this past summer's drought--if we had a working arbor-etum, we could have tested which plant varieties were truly drought-tolerant in our area."

Steiner points out that plant collections also serve an educational function beyond the University and the green industry. "People will visit the arboretum to get new ideas to use on their own property," he explains. "The arboretum will be used in many ways, and some of them may be unpredictable."

--John Wall