The second annual ‘Tree Walk’ will take place at the CSUN Botanic Garden on Saturday, Sep. 29. This CSUN-al Gardening Series’ fall class will provide people with tips on how to select the right trees for residential landscaping.

The Tree Walk is a seasonal event that includes a walking tour by the environmental horticulturalist Don Hodel, who has authored many books and articles on ferns, trees and palms.

‘This class is for the general public to learn about trees in general, in residential settings,’ Botanic Garden manager and Tree Walk organizer, Brenda Kanno said.

The class will start with a brief overview of trees and will take the participants around the campus to see notable trees. Hodel will discuss their characteristics and their sustainability for the residential landscape.

‘Quite few of the trees on campus are very mature, so the people who come to the class are able to see what mature tree of specific species looks like when it is 40 or 50 years old,’ Kanno said.

A rose pruning demonstration will also take place in January as part of the series of gardening courses.

The CSUN Botanic Garden, which was established in 1959, has a collection of about 1,200 plant species from many different regions and climates.

The garden also has four greenhouses that are used by the biology department as academic resources. The CSUN students can use specimens for class assignments, studies and research projects in biology principles, plant biology, plant morphology, plant ecology, plant physiology and entomology. Students of art, photography and design also use the facility to get inspiration there.

‘The garden is open to students, study, research and art. Students really can take advantage of the facility,’ greenhouse assistant and Tree Walk assistant, Phillippe Lee-Gabriel said.

The garden is also available to the public and offers 30-minute tours to local schools and is also used as a location for weddings, commitment ceremonies, picnics and receptions.

According to Kanno, the seasonal classes are not the same every year. They try to find the different topics for the casual gardeners.

In order to participate in the Tree Walk, registration is required and those interested can e-mail botanicgarden@csun.edu to sign up.

Kanno said that it is an enjoyable class to take because its format is not like regular classes where students only sit in the classroom.’ People actually get to walk around the campus, said Kanno.

This class is a great outreach to the community, to find out about CSUN even if (they are) not (a) student, said biology professor Paula Schiffman.

‘It is a good opportunity for people to identify trees and good trees to plant for houses to produce fruits and shades,’ Lee-Gabriel said.