October 29, 2025
Wednesday, November 5 - 7:00 PM
VIRTUAL VIA ZOOM
What supports hundreds of species, is many degrees cooler than its surroundings, soaks up stormwater, is co-created by children and their elders in spaces no bigger than a tennis court, and becomes maintenance free within a few years? A natural, native "mini-forest" planted using the Miyawaki Method, of course. Hannah will discuss what a mini-forest is, what it can do for your neighborhood, what goes into planting one, and why people all over the world are organizing their communities to plant mini-forests in the spaces around where they live and work.
Hannah Lewis is the author of Mini-Forest Revolution: Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Rewild the World (Chelsea Green 2022), which was translated into French, German, and Italian, and is the 2023 winner of a Nautilus Book Award. Hannah has an MS in Sustainable Agriculture and Sociology from Iowa State University and a BA in Environmental Studies from Middlebury College. She lives in Minneapolis, where she works for the non-profit Renewing the Countryside to build sustainable local food systems and plant mini-forests.
If you are registered to attend the 2025 Tree Symposium on Saturday, November 8, you can register for Hannah's program for free. If you are not registered for the Tree Symposium, the program fee is $10.00.
For more information and to register, click on Hannah's book cover.
Saturday, November 8 - 9:00 AM
In person at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum
- 9:00 - 10:00 AM - Registration, coffee and welcome
Attendees will be hearing a series of four presentations covering a wide variety of topics:
- 10:00 - 11:00 AM - Hazardous Tree Identification, Ted Szczawinski
- 11:00 - 12:00 PM - Tree Care Fundamentals to Reduce Stress and Disease, Jean Epiphan
- 12:00 - 1:00 PM - LUNCH BREAK
- 1:00 - 2:00 PM - Current and Future Threats to Urban Trees and Shrubs, Kevin Chase
- 2:00 - 3:00 PM - NJ Champions and Special Trees at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Bruce Crawford
- 3:00 PM - Bruce will conduct a brief tour around the grounds so that everyone can become personally 'acquainted' with a few specimens. A Tree Planting sponsored by Bartlett Tree Experts will follow the tour.
This program has been approved by:
- The New Jersey Urban and Community Forestry Program for 4.0 NJUCF CEUs
- The New Jersey Board of Tree Experts for 5.0 CEUs
- The program is also eligible for 4.0 Rutgers Master Gardener CEUs
Attendees will have the opportunity at the Symposium to purchase plants from Ted Hildebrand and Steve Kristoph's collections.
For information on all speakers and their lectures and to register, please click on the tree icon.
COOKING DEMO PROGRAM REPORT
All who attended Chef Paul Gatzke's Well Isn't This a Fine Pickle cooking demonstration on Saturday, October 18 had a wonderful time. Participants thoroughly enjoyed sampling the great variety of all things pickled, from beets, to mini cucumbers to Korean style KimChi, everything was delicious! Participants received recipe cards so they'll be able to recreate everything in their own kitchens.
Here's a photo of Chef Gatzke in action as well as a photo of the pickle sample dish. Thanks to attendee Meri Tango for the photos.
AT THE ARBORETUM
Member Deborah Holz recently visited the Arboretum and shared some of her photographs with us. The calendar may say late October, but Deborah found a lovely pale pink Iris in full bloom, as well as Roses in full bloom in the garden behind the Mansion - don't they look beautiful with the fall foliage as a backdrop? The Japanese Maples are donning their colorful fall coats and a planter with ornamental cabbage, grasses, chrysanthemums, etc. is a bright spot on the sidewalk going towards the Haggerty Education Center.
Thank you Deborah for these lovely photos.
Click a picture to open the Photo Gallery page on our website.
FRIENDS VIDEOS AT THE ARBORETUM
Click here for a brief video by Lisa Bencivengo featuring Bruce Crawford, Manager of Horticulture Division of Cultural and Environmental Resources at the Morris County Park Commission in which he discusses the All American Garden at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum. Be sure to subscribe to our channel.
You can view all our videos in our YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe.
Several of our previously recorded events are available to watch on-line.
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