The Brenton Arboretum: A Personal Story

Castanea dentata, American chestnut at The Brenton Arboretum.
The American chestnut had been eliminated from the eastern hardwood forest in the early
years of the twentieth century because of a lethal blight, but as of 2015 ours are still growing.
We also wanted to have a physical concentration of Iowa native trees so we designated an
area to the north as our Iowa Collection. Here we planned to plant all the Iowa trees and shrubs that
would grow on the site. Forest and Shade Trees of Iowa by van der Linden and Farrar was most
helpful in guiding our species selection in that area. The Iowa Collection still remains, and now a
looped walking path meanders through it.
I also was eager to try as many non-native trees as possible so we kept planting them. Most
are making it and thriving. Some, as mentioned, just exist and are likely to be taken out. The
bottom line is that the collection grew from what we wanted and was later codified.
By 2000, the board of directors, established three years earlier, had expanded and was fully
engaged. We held two meetings that year, with special meetings interspersed. In the year 2000,
board members included Buz Brenton, chairman; Sue Brenton, vice chair, Julie Brenton Galbraith
and Ken Brenton, secretary and treasurer; Lockie Brenton Markusen; Bob German; Dr. Jeff Iles;
Peter van der Linden; and Jim Van Werden. 12 This board was active. Copies of the minutes of the
two board meetings in 2000 follow.
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