Grove of States is Restored

 

2 million people a year see these trees!

On a lovely sunny day in February 2017, Friends of Trees, Oregon Travel Information Council and the Oregon Department of Forestry—joined by arborists and dozens of community volunteers—replanted a rare grove of state trees, believed to be the oldest arboretum of state trees in the country.

The Grove of States, located at the French Prairie Rest Stop (Oregon’s busiest rest area, btw), was originally planted in 1967 and represented trees from 53 U.S. states and territories. The concept for the Grove was conceived by former Oregon Attorney General Robert Thornton in the mid-1960s and implemented during a national convention of Attorneys General held in Salem in 1967 as a way to honor Lady Bird Johnson’s Highway Beautification Act.

Friends of Trees Regional Program Manager and planting lead for the event, Kris Hikari, says the event was as close to perfect as we get, “The volunteer turnout was ideal and the day was gorgeous. Topping it off were all the arborists who joined us! They were key to successfully tackling the big task of planting large stock trees.”

A re-dedication commemorating the 50th anniversary of this arboretum will take place in August; visit Oregon Travel Information Council for details.

Giant thank you to the following partners who contributed to this event: Oregon State UniversityOregon Travel Information CouncilOregon Heritage Tree CommitteeBartlett Tree ExpertsGeneral Tree ServiceTreecology.