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Soon after his arrival on campus in 1870. Professor William James Beal began planting a diverse collection of woody plants. Beal established the collection as part of the first forestry test plantings, as an educational and research resource, and to enhance the aesthetic quality of the campus. He arranged for the acquisition of exotic tree species through international exchange, and he also planted and cared for many of these trees himself, building the base for the campus-arboretum concept practiced today. Liberty Hyde Bailey, a student of Beal and later professor of horticulture, also played a role in campus plantings. The collections grew most significantly after World War II, under the direction of campus landscape architect Milton Baron, reaching the present estimated total of 7,800 different species and varieties. The collection is administered through the Division of Campus Park and Planning. Installation and collection maintenance is performed by Grounds Maintenance staff, who maintain the campus grounds.
The Campus Woody Plant Collection is a documented assortment of live trees, shrubs, and woody vines integrated into the campus landscape. An estimated 19,000 specimens representing more than 7,800 different species and varieties have been introduced to the campus-arboretum. A computerized inventory of the collection records is under way and currently includes 4,000 species.
The diverse woody plant collection is designed not only for use in teaching, research, and exhibits, but also to serve an aesthetic function by complementing the campus landscape, buildings, and other university facilities. Many plants in the collection are tagged with interpretive labels listing common name, scientific name, geographic origin, and some natural history or economic usage. The labels facilitate self-guided education. The collections are used extensively for instruction in horticulture, forestry, botany, entomology, natural science, landscape architecture, natural resource development, and other departments. Plant collections serve as resources for a wide range of research that capitalizes on the tremendous diversity of species represented within the collection.
Because the collection is integrated in the campus landscape, it is accessible at all times. Researchers wishing to take samples or conduct analyses on campus plantings must make arrangements with the collection curator.
At Michigan State University, 2,100 acres have been planned and developed as a campus-arboretum. The woody plant collection is distributed throughout this vast area. Particular concentrations of woody plants include the W.J. Beal Botanical Garden, the campus oval, and the entire 36- hole Forest Akers Golf Course.
Plants are acquired through propagation, exchange with kindred institutions, and purchase. Unusual specimens from the world's flora are obtained through the International Seed Exchange Program, which represents botanical gardens and arboreta throughout the world. Michigan State University participates in this program through the W.J. Beal Botanical Garden.
Current development efforts focus on a computer inventory and documentation of the vast collection, including computer mapping of specimen locations. To guide future acquisitions and collection expansion, a collection policy is being developed. Otherwise, collection restoration and expansion will continue according to the basic guideline of displaying the widest possible variety of trees, shrubs, and woody vines adapted to Michigan's climate.
Although no national accrediting body exists for this type of collection, the MSU Campus Woody Plant Collection is widely regarded as the best application of the campus-arboretum concept in existence.