Campus Arboretum and Tree Programs
About the Salisbury and Chopp Arboretums
The historic arboretums cover the glacial drumlin that forms the core of the UW-W Whitewater campus, which was once the extent of the Whitewater Normal School grounds. Salisbury Arboretum was originally established by Albert Salisbury in 1873. Salisbury recognized the biodiversity and existence of rare plants on the grounds and established the arboretum as a change in policy from the annual burning of leaves and brush that occurred in the early years of Whitewater Normal School. The original footprint was 5.2 acres and Salisbury reportedly planted about 350 species of trees that would grow in our climate and started a campaign to "eliminate shrubbery." Part of the original arboretum was removed with Salisbury's residence when the additions to Andersen Library were constructed. The current extent includes trees to the east and west of Andersen Library up to the original Old Main circle driveway.
Chopp Arboretum was dedicated in November 1975 and encompassed 7.6 acres and 310 trees at the time of its establishment. Joseph Chopp specifically said that "wooded areas" on campus should be preserved, which is reflected in the development projections of the most recent Master Plan. The goal of Chopp Arboretum was to "beautify the campus and include new plantings" to continue the concept established by President Salisbury. Chopp Arboretum includes all trees west of the original Old Main circle driveway up to Lot 1 and stretches north along the glacial drumlin to the Little Red Schoolhouse. Chopp Arboretum also encompasses the Alumni Center, Observatory, and Halverson Log Cabin.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in 2020, the UW-Whitewater Sustainability Office and City of Whitewater launched the “50 Trees for 50 Years” campaign in hopes of raising funds to plant 50 medium-sized trees throughout the campus and community. Donated trees are planted in city parks, local elementary school grounds, and prominent areas of campus for current and future generations to enjoy.
The PEACE Tree Project provides tree saplings to students as part of the Earth Month and Arbor Day celebration every April. The trees are delivered in early May to students who sign up using the interest form. The intention is to have students or new alumni return to their hometowns after finishing their spring semester at UW-Whitewater and plant the tree. Over time, the trees will reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and provide various environmental, social, and economic benefits to various communities.
The project is a collaborative partnership between the UW-Whitewater Sustainability Office and the UWW student organizations PEACE (P- Peace E- Education A- Activism (through) C- Creative E-Engagement), SAGE (Students Allied for a Green Earth), and Garden Club.
The Salisbury Idea is a project intended to realize the vision of former Whitewater Normal School President Albert Salisbury to plant every kind of tree, shrub, and forb that will grow in our climate on the school grounds. The current project scales down this ambitious vision to locating and identifying every tree species native to Wisconsin on the UW-Whitewater campus and if it does not exist, embark on a tree planting campaign to ensure this representation exists somewhere on the main campus property.