TIFFANY ENZENBACHER 
8 Arnoldia 78/3 « February 2021 
expedition logistics and obtaining permits to 
harvesting in the field and then processing seed 
back at the Dana Greenhouses. The collection 
that stands out most from my two experiences 
was of the endangered seaside alder (Alnus 
maritima ssp. oklahomensis). I collaborated 
with Kea Woodruff, then the Arboretum’s plant 
growth facilities manager, to collect seed from 
two plants growing along the Blue River in 
Tishomingo, Oklahoma. We were guided by 
local experts. This subspecies of the seaside 
alder has only been documented in three other 
locations in the wild, all near the Blue River. 
(The two other subspecies also have extremely 
restricted ranges—one occurs in a single loca- 
tion in northwestern Georgia, the other com- 
prises scattered populations on the Delmarva 
Peninsula of Delaware and Maryland.) For me, 
this collection brought home the purpose of 
the campaign and the urgency of preserving 
threatened taxa. 
In the fall of 2020, however, those collections 
ceased due to the pandemic. Planned expedi- 
tions to China, Japan, and South Korea were 
postponed. In the headhouse of the Dana Green- 
houses, the difference was striking. Only two or 
three members of the plant production depart- 
ment worked on-site on any given weekday, in 
an effort to de-densify our workspace and to 
allow staff to care for children who were com- 
pleting schoolwork from home. This revised 
schedule continues into the new year. Other 
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When new plant material arrives at the Dana Greenhouses, staff begin a detailed process of record keeping. New innovations have 
streamlined the process. Sean Halloran (above) readies softwood cuttings and will note rooting observations using a newly devel- 
oped mobile application in spring. 
