Have you been to the Quad to see the beautiful cherry trees? If not, now is the time to go because the blossoms are in full bloom and are incredibly beautiful right now - but they won't be around long in their colorful glory.
The iconic trees on the Quad are the Yoshino variety native to japan. The trees debuted at UW in 1939, though they were initially planted in the arboretum, not on the Quad. The trees were relocated to the quad when construction began on highway 520. Good news, every single tree that was relocated survived!
The current "crop” of trees in the quad is about 80 years old, and the trees can live for more than a century. In order to make sure these trees remain to wow us in the spring for many years to come, Facilities Services has posted a blog with a few easy tips to preserve the trees. Don't climb on the trees or break the bark, which makes them more susceptible to pests and disease.
However, if something happens to one of these beloved trees not to worry - replacement ones are being grown in the Skagit valley so that when one of the Quad trees is in decline or gets damaged, a new one will be ready to go, mature enough to mostly fit in with the existing trees.
Information for this post was obtained from UW grounds. Click here to learn even more facts about the trees, and don't forget - starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, you'll be able to take LInk Light Rail to campus to check them out!
Toren’s tidbits are blog posts by UW Sustainability Events and Outreach Specialist, Toren Elste. Toren will share items she’s passionate about, everything from green office highlights to paper reduction tips, green event resources, ocean conservation, sustainable food and SO much more!