U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home News & Events News Articles Research News 2002





- ARS News & Events
- AgResearch Magazine
- Image Gallery
- News
- Search News & Events
- Pesticide Drift May Endanger Pollinators
- ARS Seeks a Fire Ant Fix
- Scientific Discoveries 2024
- ARS Featured Photos
- Down on the Farm
- Facebook Live Events
- Food and Nutrition Research Briefs
- News Archive
- Science in Your Shopping Cart
- Scientific Discoveries
- Social Media
- Under the Microscope
- AgResearch magazine
- ARS at Work
- ARS Memorial Lectures
- ARS Science Hall of Fame
- Citrus Disease (Huanglongbing)
- Contact Office of Communications
- Plant Hardiness Zone Map
- Mobile Apps
- Public Affairs Contacts
- Publications and Other Resources
- USDA Blog
- Videos

Archived Page
 This page has been archived and is being provided for reference purposes only. The page is no longer being updated, and therefore, links on the page may be invalid.
 Left to right at tree planting: Sec. Veneman, Sen. Bond, Dr. Elias, Mr. Price, Dr. JenCAPTION: Secretary Ann M. Veneman, Senator Christopher S. Bond, Missouri, Dr. Thomas Elias, Director U.S. National Arboretum, Woodruff Price, President, Friends of the National Arboretum, and Joseph J. Jen, under secretary of agriculture for research education and economics plant a Sun Valley Red Maple on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol to celebrate the 75 th Anniversary of the U.S. National Arboretum. USDA Photo 02di1306-15. (Please contact the ARS Photo staff regarding other photos that may be available.)


Cherry blossoms of the Tidal Basin: Link to storyThe arboretum and the cherry blossoms of Washington. Photo information.


Betsy Ross lilac, a recent arboretum release: Link to storyBetsy Ross lilac, a recent arboretum release. Magazine feature (Sept. 2001).Photo information.
Veneman Launches Arboretum's 75th Anniversary Celebration
By Amy Spillman March 8, 2002
WASHINGTON, March 8—Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman kicked off a year-long celebration of the U.S. National Arboretum's 75th anniversary today and paid tribute to the arboretum's contributions to U.S. and world horticulture.
Veneman commemorated the event by participating in the planting of a Sun Valley red maple on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol with the ceremony's co-sponsors, including Sen. Christopher S. Bond (Mo.), arboretum director Dr. Thomas S. Elias and members of the Friends of the National Arboretum.
"This tree symbolizes the contributions of the National Arboretum to our country over the last 75 years," Veneman said. "The arboretum is truly a national treasure located right here in our nation's capital."
The arboretum covers 446 acres in northeast Washington, D.C. It was established by an act of Congress in 1927 to conduct research, provide education and conserve and display trees, shrubs, flowers and other plants to enhance the environment.
The arboretum has achieved international recognition through cooperative research programs with many countries including Austria, Japan and Russia. Recent renovations to its grounds and facilities have made it one of Washington's most popular tourist destinations. Approximately 600,000 visitors tour its gardens annually.
The tree planted during today's ceremony is one of the numerous award-winning cultivars bred by arboretum researchers. Some of the most well received have been elm trees resistant to Dutch elm disease (DED), a scourge that has wiped out nearly 80 million prized American elms since its appearance in the United States in the 1930s.
By painstakingly screening thousands of elms for resistance to the fungus that causes the disease, arboretum researchers succeeded in propagating and releasing two DED-resistant American elms in the mid-1990s, along with eight resistant elms bred from Asian and European species. One of the American cultivars, the Valley Forge, was planted on the grounds of the Capitol in 1996.
The Sun Valley red maple, an American native, was bred as part of a research project examining the inheritance of fall color and pest resistance. The tree has exceptional, long-lasting fall color and significant levels of tolerance to potato leafhopper, a plant pest that feeds on the underside of leaves. In tests conducted in Maryland, Sun Valley's brilliant red color lasted about two weeks, peaking in the third to fourth weeks of October. USDA officials expect the tree to be available for sale to the general public next year.
During its 75-year history, the arboretum has released more than 650 different woody and herbaceous plants to the American public through the nursery and floral industries. The Agricultural Research Service, USDA's chief scientific research agency, operates the arboretum.
In addition to Washington, D.C., the arboretum has research locations in Beltsville, Md.; Glenn Dale, Md.; and McMinnville, Tenn. For more information about the National Arboretum, visit http://www.usna.usda.gov/.
Scientific contact: Thomas S. Elias, Director, U.S. National Arboretum, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Washington, D.C., phone (202) 245-4539, eliast@ars.usda.gov.


Return to top


Research
                            Media
                            About ARS
                            Work With Us


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov