Brad Blake, manager of NAU’s research greenhouse, pictured next to the McCormick rose, a shrub near the bottom of the steps to Old Main

Trees provide beauty—and history—on north campus
It's not uncommon to hear about the beauty of NAU's Flagstaff campus, especially the north end. And when you look around, trees seem to be at the root of that allure, offering shade for readers and visual relief for visitors and employees alike.

But what we might take for granted has become a passion—and a mission—for Brad Blake, manager of NAU's research greenhouse. Blake is creating an arboretum, identifying some of the more unusual trees around north campus and providing a self-guided walking tour.

The tours will begin at the North Union building, where campus tours for prospective students begin. "Looks do make a difference" in a campus, Blake said. "And even if just a few people decide to come here based on seeing this place, then in a small way the arboretum can be a recruiting tool.

"There's a lot of diversity here," Blake explained, noting the variety of deciduous trees and conifers. And like some of the people at NAU and in Flagstaff, some trees have come from other places. The McCormick rose, a shrub near the bottom of the steps to Old Main, was sent from New Jersey to 20-year old Margaret McCormick, who settled in Prescott in 1860. McCormick was the wife of the second governor of the Arizona Territory, Richard McCormick. The rose made its way from the East Coast to Los Angeles by steamship, then to Prescott by stagecoach. The class of 1934 planted a cutting, which grew into the shrub it is today, from the original rose McCormick planted at the governor's mansion.

Other trees are also reminders of NAU's past—such as those planted by the seemingly busy class of 1934, which planted the tall Douglas firs that frame the entrance to the Gammage building. The class also planted the peach, apple, pear, apricot and plum trees that still bear fruit.

The arboretum is Blake's living memorial to his mentor, Don Wommack, the late forestry professor who created an arboretum on the San Francisco Peaks in 1968 along with the founding dean of the School of Forestry, Charles Minor. NAU was unable to negotiate a new contract with the U.S. Forest Service for the continuation of the arboretum at the base of the peaks, so 250 trees were hand dug and taken to the NAU campus, where most of them flourish today, and where more people will be able to enjoy them, Blake said.

The Arizona Community Tree Council is funding the cost of markers identifying the trees and informational materials such as a brochure and the web site, which will go live Oct. 18, Blake said. Contact: Brad Blake, 523- 9100 or Bradford.Blake@nau.edu.