Arboretum: A place where many kinds of trees and shrubs are grown for scientific and educational purposes.
The Montana legislature designated the UM campus as the state’s official arboretum in 1991. UM’s College of Forestry and Conservation maintains a database of all of the trees that make up the arboretum. Where there is data, IT web developer Jamie Robertson sees a layer to the new UM campus map.
The latest map layer is a simplified view of the arboretum. Toggle the arboretum button and you can see all of the trees on campus represented by icons that distinguish various species. The new feature includes an educational supplement with photos and tips on how to identify trees.
“We tried to make it so the average user can look at it and learn something,” Robertson said.
More detailed data views are available on the Montana Arboretum page maintained by Michael Sweet in the College of Forestry and Conservation.
Note: Some some trees that have been removed from campus still show up on the map. The CFC is updating its inventory of campus trees. When the database is updated, the map will reflect the most current state.
