Office Hours:

The University of Toledo Stranahan Arboretum offices are open Monday through Friday from 9 am until 4 pm.  

To contact:

Director or Program Coordinator: 419-841-1007; email to director is daryl.moorhead@utoledo.edu an to the program coordinator is sandra.stutzenstein@utoledo.edu         

Horticulturist: 419-882-6806 or walter.schulisch@utoledo.edu

Times for Public Visitation

Due to impending major construction and revision of the arboretum goals, primarily from public park to active urban landscape ecology research center, the arboretum will be closed to general public access until further notice.

The University of Toledo's Stranahan Arboretum is a 47 acre site, about a 10 minute drive from the main campus, that consists of cultivated ornamental trees, rolling lawns, natural woods, ponds, wetlands and prairie.  It serves as one of the Earth, Ecological, and Environmental Sciences Department's field sites for environmental education and research.  Both graduate and undergraduate courses in  ecology and geology use the Arboretum as an outdoor laboratory .  It also hosts a number of educational programs for area school students (K-12) throughout the year and is open for public tours during May when the spring wildflowers are in bloom and in October when the fall foliage is at the height of its color.    

Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine at arboretum.

The Stranahan Arboretum has been identified as the latest site for the presence of emerald ash borer.  This Asian pest kills ash trees by eating away the living layer, called the cambium.  Therefore, no wood products may be taken from the arboretum grounds (twigs, branches, bark, mulch, trees, or lumber).  Leaf collection is permitted, but NO Twigs.  Check the Ohio Department of Agriculture web site for pictures of this serious pest.  ODA web address is www.ohioagriculture.gov/eab.stm

Students and staff preparing to drill a groundwater monitoring well.

History

The Arboretum was donated to the University of Toledo in 1964 by the W. W. Knight family in memory of Robert Stranahan.

Mission

Our mission is to research urban landscape ecology and other earth science-related issues, and in the future, educate the public concerning the nature of our cultivated and native plant life in Northwest Ohio. Urban Landscape Ecology is the study of human interaction with the environment.  We provide environmental educational opportunities for the public as well as for students in elementary, secondary, undergraduate, and graduate levels.

Cultivated Areas

Approximately 1,500 specimens of cultivated, mature trees from areas as far-flung as China, Serbia, Japan, and Norway. North American native varieties range from the Bristlecone Pine to our own down-home favorite, the Buckeye.

New and Old Growth Forest

About 1/4 of the Arboretum is covered by forest. The front half closest to the pond has not been cleared for over 150 years and has oaks as the dominant tree. Peaks of old sand dunes are visible under the forest undergrowth. The newer forest in the back is about 50 years old and has red maple as the dominant tree.

Prairie and Succession Plot

A restored prairie is planted with Big Bluestem, Indian Grass, and other native prairie plants. It is burned every few years to keep out woody plants. A section of the succession plot is plowed every few years to investigate what plants invade disturbed areas. Other sections are allowed to grow longer to show the progressive invasion of woody plants over time.

The Ravine

As the last glacier retreated from this area, about 14,000 years ago, it left a layer of clay overlaid with sand ranging from five to thirty feet deep. Water seeking its own level filtered through the sand and created a ravine that drains the ponds of the Arboretum. Many types of native plants populate this area and the fifteen foot deep ravine cuts down into the layers of sediment that record our geologic past.