For the Love of Oaks

For the Love of Oaks

Interested in trees? Want to know more about oaks? Tim Boland, oak expert and executive director of Polly Hill Arboretum on Martha’s Vineyard, will invite us to share his love of oaks with a presentation about the historical, cultural, and ecological values of these fascinating trees.

Since 2004, Tim Boland has been the executive director at the Polly Hill Arboretum on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard. He previously held positions as curator at Polly Hill Arboretum and the Morton Arboretum. Tim is a plantsman with varied interests, which include oaks, magnolias, and the genus Stewartia. His work at the Arboretum includes developing a modern working flora of Martha’s Vineyard and the adjacent Islands. Tim also travels widely to collect seed for the arboretum’s collections with nearly a dozen trips over the last decade in North America focused on native stewartia, and endangered oaks. The goal of these trips is to develop a scientific collection of woody plants as well as to introduce new plants into American horticulture. Tim’s initial work with oaks began in 1995 when he travelled to Oaxaca, Mexico to study oak diversity as part of his graduate studies at Michigan State University. In 2018, Tim was appointed to the board of the International Oak Society where he is chair of the oak research and conservation committee. Tim has a Bachelor of Science and in Ornamental Horticulture from Michigan State and his Master of Science, in Plant Systematics from the Botany and Plant Pathology Department at MSU.

Presentation Video