Planned arboretum to fill varied roles, says Katy
Can a tree become a teacher? Staff members at the city of Katy’s parks and recreation department believe so. That’s why they’re opening the area’s first arboretum — an outdoor tree museum — in several months at Katy City Park.
More than 50 tree species were recently planted on two acres at the intersection of Franz Road and Katy City Park Road. During the next several weeks, the city will install an irrigation system for the trees and 550 feet of sidewalk, according to Brad Barnes, the city’s parks and recreation director.
“It’s going to be a beautiful location,” Barnes said. “There’s going to be that educational, hands-on opportunity.”
The arboretum includes trees such as Texas red oaks and saucer magnolias that will be accompanied by signs which describe the species, its seeds and pictures showing mature trees. Trees range in height from a couple of feet to more than 10 feet tall.
Other plaques will cover topics such as wildfires and the water cycle, the process by which water circulates between the earth’s oceans, atmosphere and land.
Like other arboretums, the one in Katy will aim to educate the public on the significance of trees and nature, said Barnes and Matt Churches, program manager at CenterPoint Energy, an electric-and-natural-gas company that partnered in the project.
Also participating in the ef--
fort is the city’s Keep Katy Beautiful group, a Keep America Beautiful affiliate that manages multiple environment projects.
“Trees provide a whole lot of environmental benefits. They cool temperature. They clean the air. They reduce storm water runoff,” Churches said. “So, it’s important for people to know about them.”
Students from nearby Zelma Hutsell Elementary School will make field trips to the arboretum, Barnes said. Educational programs for other students is also a possibility, Churches said.
The grove may also help residents looking for examples of trees they may want to plant in yards.
More than two years ago, Keep Katy Beautiful began discussions with CenterPoint, which partners on environmental projects through an educational outreach effort, about a possible Katy arboretum. Last year, the corporation donated $20,000 to the city for the development and also agreed to provide $5,000 annually for three years to help maintain the park.
The project will cost between $80,000 and $100,000, with the city and individual donations covering most of the costs, Barnes said.
The arboretum will help bring life to the park, which is more than 30 years old and had been somewhat forgotten in recent years but has a new pavilion slated for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 26. The park includes multiple baseball fields and playgrounds.
The arboretum is one of few in the region. The largest is Houston’s Arboretum & Nature Center, according to Jay Daniel, a Katy resident who is park director at the Memorial Park Conservancy.
The Houston arboretum, on Memorial Park’s west end, covers 155 acres and includes exhibits and hosts events such as weddings. While Katy’s arboretum will only cover two acres, it will have a large impact in the community, Daniel said.
“I cannot imagine any downside to having something like this,” Daniel said. “Any opportunity to teach young people about trees and plants is great — to have something like this, something you can touch, and even taste with fruits in some trees. And you can learn something along the way.”