Penn Today Q&A with Chief Arborist Peter Fixler The lead arborist at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens discusses his interest in tree work, how trees benefit the planet, the tallest tree he has climbed, current research at Morris, and its impact in America and beyond. Image Paul W. Meyer Chief Arborist Peter Fixler    The late actor John Candy once remarked that actors don’t get paid to act, they get paid to sit around and wait, and act for free because of their love of the craft. The same applies to Peter Fixler and his work as lead arborist at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens. He says he gets paid to do administrative and management work and climbs the trees for free. “I’m definitely the happiest when I’m climbing trees,” he says. “The physicality and the mental challenge of it is what I love.” Hired by the Morris in 2020, Fixler aids in nurturing and maintaining the vast and diverse collection of more than 4,170 trees on the Morris’s property in Chestnut Hill. He says his No. 1 priority as an arborist is to make sure the trees are healthy and hazard-free. “Most people don’t realize how much goes into keeping trees healthy and safe,” says Fixler. “We’re always assessing things like deadwood or root health—small issues that, if left unchecked, could eventually pose problems.” Penn Today visited the Morris, the official arboretum of Pennsylvania, to chat with Fixler about his interest in tree work, how trees benefit the planet, the tallest tree he has climbed, current research at the Morris, and its impact in the region and beyond.   How did you become interested in tree work? I graduated with a degree in biology and an interest in microbiology. I did work in some labs in my younger days and kind of went in and out of tree work. Eventually, I committed to it because I saw the potential to make a living. I think trees are the greatest medium because no other living organism grows larger or lives longer than a tree. I thought that was really cool. Besides water and …

Historic Springfield Mills Gets Modern Engineering Update A unique collaboration between Penn engineers and Morris Arboretum & Gardens is resurrecting a piece of Penn and Philadelphia history: Springfield Mills. A unique collaboration between the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM) at Penn Engineering and Morris Arboretum & Gardens is harnessing innovation to resurrect a piece of Penn and Philadelphia history: Springfield Mills . Dating back to 1761, the mill sits on the Wissahickon Creek—which originally powered the mill by water—and offers a compelling glimpse into the agricultural and engineering landscape of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.  Springfield Mills stands out as the most complete inventory of original gristmill works and related machinery in the area, with only four remaining mills in the Wissahickon. The three-and-a-half-story mill served multiple functions, including sawing timber, grinding corn into flour, and pumping water for field irrigation. Image Historic Springfield Mills The Mill’s Legacy and Restoration In the early 2000s, the Run-of-the-Mill volunteers—a dedicated group including engineers and employees of the Morris—worked to restore the mill back to functionality.  The volunteers and staff developed a public tour and handled all necessary maintenance, allowing the Morris to host demonstration days, giving visitors an immersive experience with the century-old machinery that allowed the millers to grind grain and corn to flour. When running, the mill hums with the steady sounds of shaking sieves, grain elevators, the rumbling of gears, and the grinding of millstones. "When you see it and what it captures, you're like, 'This is the most incredible thing ever,'" explains Bryan Thompson-Nowak, director of education at the Morris. These demonstrations go beyond mere mechanical display. "Obviously, the physics of it is captivating, but the message we want to get across is that the flour you get doesn't …

Supporting Our 127-Year-Old Katsura-Tree If you’ve visited the majestic katsura-tree ( Cercidiphyllum japonicum ) in the last few weeks, you may have noticed the X-brace installed by our Arborist team. This support structure was added to help preserve one of the most significant and beloved trees at Morris Arboretum & Gardens.  If you’ve visited the majestic katsura-tree ( Cercidiphyllum japonicum ) in the last few weeks, you may have noticed the X-brace installed by our Arborist team. This support structure was added to help preserve one of the most significant and beloved trees at Morris Arboretum & Gardens.  Image Figure 1: Katsura-tree with a recently installed X-brace to support the large branch.  In its native range of Japan and China, the katsura-tree is commonly found growing in temperate forests along streambanks, rivers, and other moist but well-drained soils. In autumn its bright yellow, heart-shaped leaves release a distinctive sweet scent—often compared to burnt sugar—as they senesce and drift to the ground, filling the air with a delicious fragrance. In 1898, John Morris acquired a young katsura-tree from the esteemed Veitch Nursery in London, making our specimen at least 127 years old. Today, our katsura-tree holds the title of Pennsylvania state champion for its species and is arguably the largest tree in the city of Philadelphia.  Chief Arborist Peter Fixler, dedicated to preserving Morris’s living collection, recently oversaw the replacement of several aging steel cables supporting the massive limbs of this tree. Two new cables were added to bolster the tree’s structural integrity, ensuring its continued stability. As part of this care, a large lower branch resting on the ground was also reinforced to prevent stress and preserve the tree’s graceful form.   Image Figure 2: Shown here are the three points of contact. Point three shows the dead branch that required the installation of the X-brace (located behind point 3).  Image Figure 3: Arborist …