Seven-figure gift establishes Abbey Arboretum at COW

A seven-figure gift from The College of Wooster alumnus Paul Abbey, ’73, and his wife Constance Norweb Abbey has established the campuswide Abbey Arboretum at Wooster.

The college was awarded Level I accreditation by ArbNet, a global arboretum accreditation program. The recognition of Wooster’s campus as an arboretum accentuates Wooster’s long commitment to its urban tree forest and the research, educational programming and conservation efforts happening on Wooster’s 240-acre campus and golf course.

“What an honor it is for our community to learn, work and play in the middle of an arboretum,” President Anne McCall said. “Beautifully maintained by our campus grounds department, the Abbey Arboretum at Wooster provides a nourishing learning environment that fosters community, scholarship, research and innovation. Paul’s gift honors that stewardship and adds to our ability to preserve that enriching environment for Wooster’s future.”

For the Abbeys, committing their support to the Abbey Arboretum at Wooster is part of an ongoing tradition. Paul Abbey founded Rooted in Trees, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring the Northern Ohio tree canopy and environmental preservation.

The value arboreta bring to communities in perpetuity also is meaningful to his wife, whose great-grandfather Albert F. Holden founded Holden Arboretum.

“We’re building on a historic tree community already in place at Wooster, and what we’re doing today will benefit students for generations,” said Paul Abbey, an emeritus trustee of the college and past president of the Alumni Association. “It’s a living laboratory, and our support adds to the research, learning environment and educational opportunities for our community about how trees benefit us all. Through partnerships with local arboretums, strong governance and local volunteers, the Abbey Arboretum at Wooster will support our beautiful campus in more intentional and new ways.”

Arboretums specialize in trees and woody plants, and as a member of Tree Campus Higher Education for more than 16 years, the college already meets many of the criteria of a Level I arboretum including a labeled and cataloged collection of at least 25 different tree species.

Wooster’s TreeKeeper system, developed in collaboration with Davey Tree Expert Company, tracks not only the number of trees on campus, but also their ecological and economic benefits. In just the past five years, calculations estimated the value of trees on campus at more than $63,000. Benefits include carbon dioxide removed from the air (more than 820,000 pounds), stormwater mitigation avoiding runoff and collecting rainfall (more than 12 million gallons), and air pollution removal including carbon monoxide and other gases (more than 100,000 ounces). Over a span of 20 years, the value rises to $260,000 for the nearly 180 different tree species on campus.

“The strength and support added through the Abbey Arboretum honors the hard work of our grounds department to maintain the urban forest on campus,” said Phil Olsen, manager of campus grounds and a certified arborist. “Sustainability and preserving and protecting our environment mean so much to our student body, and the partnerships through accreditation reaffirm our commitment to providing students a beautiful campus underneath our tree canopy.”

Over the next three to five years, the Abbey Arboretum at Wooster will expand student and community engagement, strengthen and grow the tree collection, and broaden academic research and educational development opportunities.

In addition to environmental research on campus, students and faculty often collaborate with the Secrest Arboretum in Wooster and Holden Arboretum, just east of Cleveland.

“These partnerships strengthen Wooster’s value as a member of ArbNet’s network,” said Paul Abbey, who earned his degree in political science at Wooster and is the fourth in five generations of Wooster graduates. “Wooster gave me the confidence to face the future as a strong thinker and problem solver."

Working closely with Olsen and being involved in nurturing Wooster’s tree canopy is nothing new for Paul Abbey. His support extended to the planting of 21 black gum trees, celebrated in the fall, involving many volunteers from the community. To him, the event signified an example of the educational value promoting the long-term health of the campus landscape can bring to the community, and the Abbey Arboretum at Wooster underscores that impact into the future.