Perhaps the arboretum and its low quantity of students passing through, may not be such a bad thing, as it may create space for quality time spent by students who will appreciate the beauty of this hidden forest in its entirety.

Sacramento State’s Arboretum consists of a dirt path, just wide enough for wheelchair accessibility, that winds beautifully through the groves of different trees persuading wanderers to follow and lose themselves within the botanical garden.

The arboretum is filled with a plethora of unique plants which are both native and exotic.

It can be a very humbling experience; once immersed in the arboretum it becomes very apparent just how large the trees are in comparison to the people strolling below.

The arboretum is 3.5 acres and is located near the J street and Carlson entrance of Sac State. When it was first created there were about one hundred trees given to Sac State from the University Arboretum. This is an organization that donates trees to get each school’s arboretum going. The Sacramento State Arboretum has evolved immensely and now is home to over 1,400 different species of plants.

The oldest members in the arboretum are the Eucalyptus trees. The Eucalyptus tree is originally from Australia and grows comfortably in the heat of Sacramento. They were planted back in the 1920s and continue to thrive on campus.

Many of the trees are from Mediterranean climates, which is valuable because they do not require as much water. They typically grow faster here than they would in their native habitats due to the nutrient rich soil and the arboretum’s irrigation system which creates consistent hydration though the weather varies.

“My goal has always been to gracefully merge the aesthetic with the academic and expose the Sacramento community to the wide diversity of the world’s flora that can grow and flourish in our climate, and particularly emphasize the rich mixture of trees and shrubs from South Africa, Chile, Western Australia and the Mediterranean regions that are specifically adapted to our region,” said Professor Michael Baad, who has taken care of the Arboretum since 1969.

During a tour, Baad led the way through the sections found within the arboretum.

The area known as the Mediterranean Pizza is a circular plot of land in the arboretum that the trail wraps around. Within this circle are several different Mediterranean plant species.

Another cluster of trees are gathered in the Cretaceous Circle. These are very old plant species that have been alive since the days of the dinosaurs and prehistoric times. Conifers which are trees that possess cones, are prevalent in this area.

The Cross Section of the Sequoia is an open space before a large mounted trunk of a sequoia tree. This display allows students to count the rings of the Sequoia tree to determine its age. Below is a plaque depicting the events taking place throughout the course of history for each ring and year of the tree’s existence. For example, when one of the trees was seven years old, Columbus had just discovered America.

The Sycamore Amphitheater in the arboretum offers a place for students to gather in a large group. The wooden benches are actually manufactured from an old tree on campus that had to be cut down. Instead of just disposing the tree, students and volunteers were innovative and decided to create benches with the remaining wood so students on field trips and the general public would have somewhere to sit.

There is also the Native Section. Evan Hanson, a graduating senior majoring in Biology with a concentration in ecology, evolution and conservation, works in both the greenhouse and arboretum.

“My favorite aspect of the arboretum is the Native Section; there we have a ton of diverse plants from various California ecosystems: desert, chaparral, oak woodland, oak woodland, coastal, and montane,” said Hanson.

Some recent additions to the arboretum include stone benches dispersed amongst the paths on March 31. These benches with carved dragonflies create an opportunity for students to sit down and relax. Hanson played a key part in the placing of these stone benches as well as the log benches in the amphitheater.

Baad said currently a virtual tour is being developed for students so as they walk through, they can receive insight about the types of plants they are observing and the history of them.

During the tour, Baad also pointed out his favorite tree called the Chiranthofremontia Lenzii, more commonly known as Flannel Bush. The tree blooms bright yellow flowers with stiff sticky petals where insects get stuck. Their petals are different than a typical flower with soft flimsy petals.

When considering all that the arboretum has to offer, it prompts the question of why more students don’t make a visit to this landmark on Sac State’s campus. It has been acknowledged that this may be due to the location of the Arboretum which is in an area that does not get a lot of foot traffic. Because Sac State is a commuter school, most people drive past the arboretum rather than walking through it on their way to class.

However, after speaking with Baad, it became apparent that perhaps this solitude the arboretum is known for, may be its true purpose. It is a sanctuary for solitude in a way and it attracts students in search of quiet, and tranquility. Exploiting it too much in hopes of attracting more people may actually destroy the beauty of its safe haven-like ambiance.

There are very few places on campus where students can find a mellow place to just be alone in nature. The quad outside of the library can be noisy or cluttered, and at times even the grassy areas on campus can experience a lot of traffic.

If in search of a spot on Sac State’s campus that embodies both beauty and peacefulness, wander through the arboretum.

As one anonymous quote reads: “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.”