39°46′43.30″N 86°11′20.71″W / 39.7786944°N 86.1890861°W / 39.7786944; -86.1890861 The Lilly ARBOR Project is a part of an experimental riparian floodplain reforestation and ecological restoration program, located along the White River in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. ARBOR is an acronym for "Answers for Restoring the Bank Of the River".[1]

Project

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The riparian forest restoration project was performed by the Center of Earth and Environmental Science (CEES) at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) with support from the Lilly Endowment.[2]

As part of the riparian zone restoration project, nearly 1,400 trees were planted along the eastern bank of the White River near downtown Indianapolis. The eight-acre (3.2 ha) project site stretches for about one mile (1.6 km) from 10th St. (north) to New York St. (south).[3][4][5][6] The initial planting occurred in the fall of 1999 and the spring of 2000.[7]

After five years, the Lilly Arbor Project provided data on riparian zone reforestation strategies, which will be used in further research and future projects. Students and faculty from various universities conduct research and maintain the restoration using the CEES service learning program.

Species

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A segment of the Lilly ARBOR Project site in 2022 (between Michigan St. and New York St.)

A total of 1,332 trees belonging to one of twelve native species were planted across the project site, including:

Scientific name Common name
Acer rubrum Red maple
Acer saccharinum Silver maple
Aesculus glabra Ohio buckeye
Celtis occidentalis Hackberry
Crataegus Hawthorn
Fraxinus pennsylvanica Green ash
Gleditsia triacanthos Honey locust
Platanus occidentalis American sycamore
Populus deltoides Eastern cottonwood
Quercus bicolor Swamp white oak
Quercus muehlenbergii Chinquapin oak
Salix nigra Black willow
Source: Indiana University Center for Earth and Environmental Science[8]

Since the initial plantings in 1999 and 2000, additional native and invasive tree species have become established at the site. These include American elm (Ulmus americana), box elder (Acer negundo), Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana), Catalpa, dogwood (Cornus), goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata), red mulberry (Morus rubra), white mulberry (Morus alba), and Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila).[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Lilly ARBOR". www.cees.iupui.edu. Indiana University. Retrieved January 24, 2024. ARBOR is an acronym for Answers for Restoring the Bank Of the River.
  2. ^ "Corporate Citizenship: HSE Performance Review". Eli Lilly and Company. March 2007. Archived from the original on February 9, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2007. The Lilly Foundation continues to support the Lilly ARBOR Project
  3. ^ "Lilly Arbor Project". Center of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Archived from the original on August 4, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2007.
  4. ^ Salazar, Kara A.; Tedesco, Lenore P.; Atekwana, Eliot A.; Swope, R. Jeffrey; Pachut, Joseph F. Jr.; Lindsey, Greg; Hernly, F. Vincent; Hall, Bob E. (November 2, 2003). "The Lilly Arbor Project: Promoting Science-Based Environmental Education And Outreach Within An Urban Riparian Setting". 2003 Seattle Annual Meeting. The Geological Society of America (GSA). Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2007.
  5. ^ Tedesco, Lenore P; Salazar, Kara A (March 2006). "Using Environmental Service Learning in an Urban Environment to Address Water Quality Issues". Journal of Geoscience Education. National Association of Geoscience Teachers. Retrieved July 31, 2007.
  6. ^ "Restoring Floodplain Forests". Nexsens Technology. June 2003. Retrieved August 10, 2007.
  7. ^ Salazar, Kara. "The Lilly ARBOR Project: Promoting Science-Based Environmental Education and Outreach within an Urban Riparian Setting". The Geological Society of America. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Schmalhofer, Victoria R. (2017). "Trees of the Lilly ARBOR: A Photographic Guide to the Tree Species Occurring in the Lilly ARBOR Riparian Forest Restoration Site, Marion County, Indiana" (PDF). www.cees.iupui.edu. Indiana University. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
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