Code Red: Dealing with Disaster Eirhart

Moderated by Linda Eirhart Speakers in order of presentation: Patrick Griffith, Montgomery Botanical Center Jacqueline Bergquist, Longwood Graduate Fellow, Class of 2009 Kristina Aguilar, Longwood Gardens Andrew Wyatt, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Disaster Preparedness Research in Public Gardens Jacqueline Bergquist Longwood Graduate Fellow Class of 2009

“ Plant collections are the life blood of public gardens; without plants there would be no gardens. Simply put, the process of disaster planning helps to ensure the safety of plant collections, and the true relevancy of a botanical institution.”

Mixed Methods Approach Where quantitative research (surveys) were “embedded” in qualitative research (case studies, and interviews) Data collection methods Two American Public Gardens Association (APGA) National surveys Three site-specific case studies Nine on-site interviews

Sent to 500 APGA Institutional Members in April 2008 Received 148 responses 5. Does your garden have a disaster plan?

Of the 60.14% of gardens which held disaster plans, only 31% had information specific to plant collections 6a. What types of information does your disaster plan hold?

1 st survey 27/148=.182 or 18% 2 nd survey directly stated, 18.16% Museums: Heritage Health Index Reported 20% of museum collections are protected Only 1 in 5 collections is protected

April 2008- Naturalistic Garden May 2008- Display Garden July 2008- Historic Landscape

Educational interpretation of damage/natural succession to visitors was important There were some rare specimens which the garden wanted to try to mitigate/salvage for conservation purposes

Wanted to be able to reopen quickly for visitors to be able to use after a disaster Needed a replacement strategy for sourcing seasonal display and bedding plants to be used for replanting after a disaster event

Must replant to the specifications of the original design even if plant material is not best suited to the site after a disaster A focus on tree health may help in future mitigation as trees and larger shrubs are the backbone of the garden design

Mission dependent planning focus Gardens would rather replace most plants after disaster than try to mitigate damages beforehand

LSU Burden Center New Orleans Botanical Garden City of New Orleans Department of Parks and Parkways Montgomery Botanical Center Naples Botanical Garden Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Gifford Arboretum National Tropical Botanical Garden: Kampong Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

Staff contact lists Good Root Health Volunteer help Use county/ extension services Disperse plants/ seeds Practice/ Suggest Soil mitigation Tree thinning Back-up water source needed LSU X X NOBG X X X X City X X X X X X MBC X X X NBG X X X X X FTBG X X X X X GA X X KAMP X X X X X VISC X X X X X

revolved around organizing resources Staff/Volunteer contact lists Equipment lists Replanting strategies and creating “help networks” beforehand Local responders Regional gardens and non-profits that may help one another during recovery

Phase I. Organize Resources Phase II. Assess Risks Get support for the project Create and distribute a staff contact list Create a “clean-up effort” resource list List local emergency responders and horticultural contacts to call for help/aid after an event Identify hazards Evaluate collections and/or plants of high value or worth Prioritize salvage

Phase iii. Develop a plan Phase IV. Implement/monitor Decide what plants to focus on Evaluate steps necessary to keep highest priority plants safe Assign team-based responsibilities to mitigate damage Put the plan in writing Enact interagency coordination Update the plan and provide staff training (annually at minimum)

For more information on the Natural Disaster Planning Template please email me at: [email_address]

Code Red: Dealing with Disaster Eirhart

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Code Red: Dealing with Disaster Eirhart