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Senators present campus tree to Russian officials by Daniel J. Fitzgibbons, Chronicle staff 
little piece of UMass history is growing in Russia. The five-year-old Sawara cypress seedling was presented in August as a gift to officials in Russia's Pskov region by Sen. Stan Rosenberg (D-Amherst) and Sen. Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton). The lawmakers, who were participating in a decade-old exchange program linking UMass and Pskov Polytechnic Institute and government officials from the Bay State and the Russian region, brought the tree to fulfill a promise made during an earlier visit, said Rosenberg. "One night at dinner, a friend asked us for a favor, but he wouldn't tell us what it was until we agreed," Rosenberg said. "He said, 'I want to bring a tree to plant here in Pskov as a sign of our friendship. The roots will grow deep and the tree will grow tall.'" As the legislators prepared for their late-summer trip, Pacheco, a Stockbridge School of Agriculture graduate, put in a request for a tree to Cleve Willis, dean of the College of Food and Natural Resources. Willis knew just who should handle the senators' query: John Tristan, director of the historic Durfee Conservatory. Tristan, he said, "took care of them in famous fashion." Tristan selected a seedling propagated from a Sarawa cypress brought from Japan to Amherst in 1870 by Massachusetts Agricultural College President William Smith Clark. The tree was a gift from Sapporo Agricultural College (now Hokkaido University), which Clark helped found. Clark's tree, incidentally, still stands on the grounds of Hillside, the chancel-lor's residence. Tristan chose the seedling not only for its historical significance, but for its botanical characteristics as well. The evergreen conifer, said Tristan, can reach heights of 90 to 120 feet. "A fast grower it tolerates shade but succeeds best in full sun in moist, well-drained soils and is hardy to Zone 5 (with extra protection to Zone 4). Its delicate bluegreen foliage has silver hues and it is a very attractive tree in the temperate landscape," he said. Tristan's choice was perfect, said Rosenberg. "It's fitting that a descendent of a tree given in friendship between Japan and UMass is symbolic of the friendship between Pskov and Massachusetts," he said. Rosenberg said the tree was stripped of its soil and repacked at Logan Airport, but passed through customs in Russia without a problem. Once in Pskov, the seedling was repotted. The tree will be planted during a later visit, he added. Upon their return, the senators contacted Willis and Tristan to report the warm reception that the gift received. Rosenberg also praised
the campus's responsiveness to Pacheco's request. |
