Forest Succession
Nature obliges everything to change. One thing crumbles and falls in the weakness of age; another grows in its place from a negligible start. So time alters the whole nature of the world and earth passes from one state to another. -- Lucretius
Boxerwood exists because Dr. Munger enjoyed collecting specimens from all over the world. Today, that original garden is aging and changing. We're honoring these trees of stature.... and moving on in our stewardship model.
Forests are always changing. The woods you see today were very different 20 years ago and will be different again in 20 more years. This is called forest succession. It happens after events like fires, storms, timber harvesting, or when land isn’t used for farming anymore.
At first, small plants and trees with tiny seeds grow. They’re tough and can survive even in poor soil or dry areas. Some people think of these plants as weeds. Animals bring in more seeds, and bigger trees like locust and cedar start growing. Later, trees that can handle shade, like oaks and maples, arrive.
Right now, Boxerwood's forest contains Black Cherry, many types of oak trees, and ash trees. But an insect called the emerald ash borer is killing most of the ash trees. Because the ash trees are dying, more sunlight reaches the ground, allowing other trees to take root. Some of these new trees are not native species and can cause problems for the forest.
Boxerwood's goal is to have a forest full of trees that belong in Virginia. We remove plants that do not belong and sometimes add new trees to replace the dying ash trees.
The "Tree Zoo" that Dr. Munger curated over many years from his extensive travels and interest in horticulture helped make the garden into what we see today. However, it is the prevalance of invasive, non-native species like the emerald ash borer, autumn olive, tree-of-heaven, and countless other diseases, insects, and plants that are changing our native ecosystems. We do not recommend or condone the movement of trees and animals outside their native ranges. We have learned from decades of experience that nature does not always cooperate the way we (humans) want it to. Nature finds a way. So we want to promote the right species in the right place by planting native trees that are beneficial to our native wildlife.