By Ben Davis
O
regon State University’s Corvallis campus has officially been recognized as an accredited arboretum—an achievement decades in the making, finally brought across the finish line by the dedication of a graduate student.
That student, Dan Blanchard, undertook the project as part of his master’s thesis in horticulture. A self-described “conifer man” with a lifelong passion for plants, Blanchard turned his thesis into a reality in the summer of 2023, helping OSU gain accreditation as an official arboretum. He now serves as OSU’s Campus Arboretum Curator of Living Plant Collections and an instructor in the Department of Horticulture, leading the care, documentation, and interpretation of the university’s vast landscape.
While many universities designate specific sites as arboreta, such as OSU’s long-established Peavy Arboretum, this distinction makes Oregon State one of only a few institutions nationwide where the entire main campus is formally recognized as an arboretum.
A Campus with Deep Roots
The arboretum’s story begins in 1871, when OSU’s original 35-acre campus farm laid the groundwork for what would become a 423-acre living museum. Over the years, faculty visionaries helped shape the campus landscape.
Horticulturist George Coote planted some of the first iconic trees including the Trysting Tree and the Elm Walk. Arthur Peck drew the plan for campus based on the university’s Olmsted report, commissioned by the Olmsted group that designed Central Park in New York. Don Martel expanded the plant collection and began the installation of plant identification tags on campus.
Their work set the stage for today’s arboretum. Some of the university’s most remarkable residents, the Oregon white oaks near Magruder Hall, date back more than 340 years—older than the Declaration of Independence.
A Living Collection
Today, the OSU Campus Arboretum is home to more than 65,000 individual woody plants representing a stunning diversity of species adapted to Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The collection includes more than 5,000 trees across hundreds of species, from Oregon white oaks to a Dawn Redwood planted in 1949—a species once thought extinct until rediscovered in China.
With new plantings happening year-round thanks to the dedication of landscaping crews, faculty, and students, Blanchard and his team continually update maps, labels, and tours to turn the campus into an open-air classroom. Interactive tools such as an online map, QR-coded plant labels, and guided tours invite students, employees, and visitors to explore the grounds as a living learning laboratory.
“Mapping and signage aren’t just record keeping,” Blanchard explains. “They turn every walk across campus into a chance to learn about the plants that make this place so unique.”
A Century in the Quad: Sequoia Celebration Coming 2026
Next year, Oregon State University will celebrate a towering milestone—the 100th birthday of the giant sequoias in the Memorial Union Quad.
Planted in the 1920s, these living landmarks have quietly witnessed a century of campus life—welcoming new students, shading countless conversations, and standing watch over generations of Beavers. Rising more than 100 feet into the Corvallis sky, their presence is as iconic as the MU itself.
The OSU Campus Arboretum is planning a community celebration to honor the sequoias’ century of growth and their place in the heart of Beaver Nation. The event will feature guided walks, historical displays, and opportunities to share your own “sequoia stories” from over the years.
“These trees are more than just part of the landscape— they’re part of our collective history,” says Dan Blanchard, Curator of Living Plant Collections. “A century is worth celebrating.”
Stay tuned for more details, and mark your calendar for this once-in-a-lifetime moment to honor some of OSU’s most beloved giants.
Celebrating a Century of Sequoias
Next year, the arboretum will mark a milestone for some of its most beloved and visible specimens: the giant sequoias that frame the Memorial Union Quad. Planted in the 1920s, these towering icons will turn 100 years old, and the university is planning a celebration to honor their century of growth, shade, and campus presence.
These sequoias have been more than just trees. They’ve been part of OSU’s collective memory, a meeting place for generations of Beavers, and most recently, the inspiration for an internationally recognized art installation.
Art Among Giants
The Memorial Union sequoias have inspired more than awe—they were also the canvas for Emeritus, a large-scale sculpture by artist John Grade. Suspended from the branches of three sequoias, the piece outlined the vertical form of an absent tree. Composed of tens of thousands of carved and cast elements that echoed cones, needles, and branches, it highlighted the sequoias’ history while inviting viewers to consider the interplay between art, nature, and time.
Learn more at johngrade.com/projects/emeritus-sequoia
Global Recognition and Local Connection
Accreditation through the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program places OSU within a global network of arboreta committed to conservation, education, and public engagement. The university is also a Campus Nature Rx member and has proudly maintained its Tree Campus Higher Education designation from the Arbor Day Foundation since 2008.
For Blanchard, the arboretum is far more than a professional achievement—it’s a shared community treasure. “The OSU Campus Arboretum is more than a collection of plants,” he says. “It’s a living legacy, a classroom without walls, and a place for everyone to connect with nature.”
With roots stretching back centuries and branches reaching toward the future, the OSU Campus Arboretum reflects the university’s history while affirming its commitment to stewardship, learning, and the beauty of the natural world.
Visitors can explore the arboretum year-round, request tours, and dive deeper into its stories at campusarb.oregonstate.edu.
OSU’s Moon Tree
One of the most remarkable residents of the OSU Campus Arboretum is the “moon tree”—a Douglas-fir located near the corner of 30th Street and Jefferson Way. As a seed, it traveled into space with astronaut Stuart Roosa during the Apollo 14 mission in 1971, before being planted on campus as a living symbol of exploration and discovery.
