We bet you didn’t know that today is National Love a Tree Day! We’re so excited that we live, work, and play in an area with so many incredible arboretums, parks, and forest preserves. It’s such a beautiful part of Long Island living. We’re bringing you some of our picks for best places to go hiking and get back in touch with the forest and natural wilderness. You’ll find forest preserves, arboretums, and forest trails abound on today’s blog! But first, let’s take a look at why these areas are important and vital to our local ecosystems.
An arboretum serves, in a sense, as a “museum” of trees and local flora. Trees and plants are grown for the purpose of research, preservation, and educational purposes. Regional trees, shrubs, plants, and flowers are cultivated for the purpose of exhibiting their different varieties and properties, and providing a little oasis in the area for scientific and educational research. Many arboretums also serve as community hubs for volunteering, local events, seasonal gardening education, plant sales, and even art shows!
Forest and Nature preserves differ from Arboretums in the sense that they are not intentionally cultivated spaces. Instead, they are protected wilderness areas in states, cities, and counties which retain their natural character. They provide permanent areas of protection against development and industry, with the means of preserving animals, plants, and ecosystems. In these wildlife and nature preserves, you’ll find lots of pristine areas to observe local animals and plants, hike or bike along maintained trails, and get a more rugged experience.
Both of these categories of natural resources are vital to sustainability and environmental protection efforts. We highly recommend exploring both, and bringing a camera along with you so you can help raise awareness and education for these beautiful environmental staples!
Here are some of the wonderful trees you’ll find in the Long Island Area, as well as Preserves and Arboretums to explore all year round!
Trees and Shrubs of Long Island:
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Gray Birch
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Canadian Serviceberry
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Black Tupelo
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Sugar Maple
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Norway Maple
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Red Maple
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Red Oak
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Pitch Pines
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Highbush Blueberry
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Winterberry
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Prairie Rose
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Northern Spicebush
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American Holly
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Eastern Red Cedar
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Eastern White Pine
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American Beech
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Scarlet Oak
These beautiful nature preserves and arboretums are perfect for spending a day outside and getting some fresh air:
