Dec 20, 2021 Update: The Ivy Tunnel at the Arboretum has been completed.
The Two Rivers Rotary has sponsored the installation of an “Ivy Tunnel” at Van der Brohe Arboretum.
The installation will add to the structured displays of various plant options on site and provide a pleasing shaded repose in the trail network.
Rotary members, led by Jim Lester, volunteered time to aid in the construction of the tunnel and to plant the wisteria.
Related article: Two Rivers Rotary Sponsorship March 30, 2022
Originally published on Oct 12, 2021
I would love to see a hemlock grove on the site. There was a hemlock forest in the area. The hemlock trees were cut and their bark was used to tan hides at the local tannery. Hence the naming of Tannery Road in Two Rivers. When the hemlock trees were depleted the tannery closed.
Hello Janice,
So would we! We will definitely be planting Hemlocks on the grounds. In addition to their colorful contribution to our local history, Hemlocks are important to the ecology, providing erosion control and year-round shelter for birds and wildlife.
But we will have to proceed with caution. HWA or Hemlock woolly adelgid is a tree-killing insect that was accidentally introduced to eastern North America. This insect will quickly deplete Wisconsin’s native Eastern Hemlock population when it arrives here–it is not in Wisconsin yet but it is across the lake in Western Michigan.
So we will take all of the precautions that we can with our Hemlocks to prevent this aphid from establishing itself in our area.
You can read more about this pest at: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/foresthealth/adelgid
Thank you for sharing this bit of history with our readers!
VDBA