MEMORIAL TREE PROGRAM

"Old Swedes has existed, shrouded in a dense tree canopy, until very recently.
The canopy was made up of an assortment of trees native to the region but
planted in a very managed landscape. The planting patterns of these trees
reflects the traditions of other times and other places. Classical tree
'allees' created an avenue grid in the city of the dead. Flanking eighty-foot
trees have majestically sheltered worshiper and visitor alike for generations.
This is no longer the case. Today, due to old age and disease, 26 trees
remain. In the last ten years, 19 principal canopy trees have been removed
.. chang(ing) the character and management of this site."

Recently, a study of this problem was completed which culminated in a
Landscape Restoration Master Plan, funded by the Foundation and prepared by
Rene Torres, ASLA, a historic landscape specialist. Rene's words say it best:
"The landscape at Old Swedes represents a rare example of plantings, some of
which date back to the early days of the building's construction. It is rare
to encounter such a living legacy. The fact that it has survived from its
creation in the 17th Century stands as a testament to the concerns of past and
present congregations and their values. Unlike the structure, the landscape
is ever evolving, living, maturing and dying ... It sets the tone ...
creat(ing) a place in communion with the church and the graveyard that is as
much a part of the 17th Century as it is with us today." However, "the
absence of trees has changed the character and management of the site."

It is the intention of the Foundation to restore the churchyard's landscape to
its historical appearance. As a vehicle to achieve this, a MEMORIAL TREE
PROGRAM has been created and Mr. Torres has drawn up a list of appropriate
trees which may be selected with Foundation approval. The list includes:

	Characteristic Species	Associates
Mesophytic Forest	sugar maple yellow buckeye black oak American Beech white ash tuliptree cucumber magnolia white oak American basswood Eastern hemlock	red maple yellow birch pignut hickory shagbark hickory white walnut black walnut black cherry northern red oak slippery elm *honeylocust
Floodplain Forest	silver maple river birch umbrella magnolia green ash sweetgum American elm *American sycamore	red maple bitternut hickory shag bark hickory black walnut swamp white oak swamp chestnut oak cherry-bark oak

If you wish more information about the MEMORIAL TREE PROGRAM, please click on
Page Manager to communicate with Jo Thompson, Director, Old Swedes Fdn., or
write to us at Old Swedes Church Foundation, Inc., 606 Church St., Wilmington,
DE 19801.