Kitty Todd Arboretum

The Kitty Todd Arboretum was dedicated in 1981 to the memory of Kitty Todd, an Ohio- and Maine-based conservationist. One of the most diverse habitats in the park, inside the Aboretum guests can find 35 different labeled, Maine tree specimens. Dozens more unlabeled flowering plants, ferns, and shrubs occupy its acres.

In 2018, the Kitty Todd Arboretum was restored thanks to the hard
work of TREEKEEPERS LLC – Johnson Arboriculture, the Maine Conservation Corps, Goodridge-Lermond Tree Service, volunteer Hans Bengtsson, the Maine Forest Service/USDA Forest Service, and Merryspring trustees and volunteers. In addition to the physical work, a new management plan was devised by TREEKEEPERS LCC – Johnson Arboriculture to ensure the Arboretum is managed and cared for years to come.

35 full-color signs for each specimen tree have been installed, trails are widened, a new main entrance kiosk constructed, trails reblazed, and a satellite-accurate map that details the trails and locations for each of the trees. Trails have been renamed for their dominant tree species and are color-coded.  An Arboretum map and pamphlet can be downloaded in 2 PDF files here Arboretum Inside, Arboretum Outside

TREE SPECIMENS:
The signs denoting the 35 specimen trees include the common and scientific name, photos of the leaves, flowers, and bark, and interesting facts about each species. Below are replicas of the specimen tree signs found throughout the Arboretum. In addition to the labeled trees, we have named a new centerpiece tree for the Arboretum, the Majestic Red Maple. This very old tree is mangificent specimen for its species, and can be found on a spur off of the Birch Loop trail.

#1 Red Spruce – Picea rubens

#2 Mountain Maple –  Acer spicatum

#3 Eastern White Cedar – Thuja occidentalis

#4 American Chestnut – Castanea dentata

#5 White Pine – Pinus strobus

#6 – Red Pine – Pinus resinosa

#7 English Hawthorn – Crataegus monogyna

#8 White Ash – Fraxinus americana

#9 Striped Maple – Acer pensylvanicum

#10 Pussy Willow – Salix discolor

#11 Eastern Larch – Larix laricina

#12 Speckled Alder – Alnus rugosa

#13 White Spruce – Picea glauca

#14 Black ash – Fraxinus nigra

#15 American Beech – Fagus grandifolia

#16 Balsam Fir – Abies balsamea

#17 Eastern Hemlock – Tsuga canadensis

#18 Pin Cherry – Prunus pensylvanica

#19 Northern Red Oak – Quercus rubra

#20 Mountain Ash – Sorbus americana

#21 Paper Birch – Betula papyrifera

#22 Gray Birch – Betula populifolia

#23 Pagoda Dogwood – Cornus alternifolia

#24 Serviceberry –Amelanchier arborea

#25 Red Maple – Acer rubrum

#26 Sugar Maple – Acer saccharum

#27 – American Elm – Ulmus americana

#28 – Bebb’s Willow – Salix bebbiana

#29 – Choke Cherry – Prunus virginiana

#30 – Roundleaf Dogwood – Cornus rugosa

#31 Black Cherry – Prunus serotina

#32 Apple – Malus pumilia

#33 Black Spruce – Picea mariana

#34 Quaking Aspen – Populus tremuloides

#35 Yellow Birch – Betula allaghaniensis

*Majestic Red Maple*
The Majestic Red Maple is the new centerpiece tree of the Arboretum. Possibly one of the oldest trees in the park, this maple’s mature features are rarely seen among other trees of its species. Coarse, plated bark covers its trunk and branches. The large, double trunk suggest the tree was spared during a long-ago clearcut, able to grow and branch out without competition from its neighbors. This tree was discovered by and is being maintained by arborist Doug Johnson of TREEKEEPERS LLC/Johnson Arboriculture. To find the Majestic Red Maple, locate the birch loop on the southern end of the Arboretum. The tree is located off a short spur on the eastern side of this loop trail.