Botanic Gardens – valuable environmental resources

Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) defines botanic gardens as “institutions holding documented collections of living plants for the purposes of scientific research, conservation, display and education.” Botanic Gardens hold plant collections which date back decades and centuries and thus provide invaluable resources for the detection and study of environmental change. A J Moffat & Associates have recently been invited to evaluate the soil resources in the Arboretum at Treborth Botanic Gardens, part of Bangor University (http://www.treborthbotanicgarden.org/), in support of the future management of important trees there. As well as plant collections in the grounds of Treborth Gardens, temperate and tropical houses support significant collections of plants, including orchids. The Gardens are also remarkable in housing the largest Rhizotron in Europe, an invaluable resource for the study of soil.

Detailed soil information is vital for effective planning and management of plant collections such as those at Treborth, and A J Moffat & Associates would be delighted to support other Botanic Gardens interested in these services. The company has previously worked on projects at the Gilbert White Museum in Selborne, and Marwell Zoo, near Winchester in Hampshire.