Join Us for another “Where Baltimore Grows” Speaker Series Event at Cylburn
Arboretum: Exploring the Hidden History of Cylburn’s Forest Discover the story behind Cylburn
November 15, 4:30pm-6pm. At the Vollmer Center
Arboretum’s 128 acres of forest, a landscape teeming with hidden history and ecological significance. In this engaging talk, our expert speaker will guide you through the field marks to “read” a forested landscape and reveal the rich history of Cylburn’s woods, from ancient oaks that predate Maryland statehood to 19th-century logging and the legacy of a farm called Springwood.
Event Highlights:
- Explore how Cylburn’s forest naturally rewilded after being farmland in the 1800s.
- Learn about the forest’s diverse species mix and how it reflects past land use.
- Uncover intriguing historical layers, from pre-settlement times through to the Civil War and
beyond. - Hear about ongoing efforts to document the forest’s current ecological conditions and how
this shapes the future of Cylburn’s programming.
Whether you’re a history enthusiast, nature lover, or someone who simply enjoys exploring the hidden stories of Baltimore’s landscapes, this talk promises to offer new perspectives and insights into this remarkable green space.
From Michael Gaige about his work: To make a place special, it’s important to understand where the place has come from. To know your land means to uncover its best places and to learn the stories of its rocks, oaks, fences, and old paths. Every place is special, but the stories of some places are never revealed. So they remain uncelebrated.
My goal is to help landowners, land managers, and planners understand their land as a dynamic set of natural and human relationships. Reading the landscape reveals a hidden history from rocks, ecological communities, and past land use. From that emerges thoughtful interpretation, management options, and a dynamic user experience.
