Bob Berry (dendrologist)
Encyclopedia
Robert James Berry (born 11 June 1916 in Gisborne
) is a New Zealand
dendrologist
who founded Hackfalls Arboretum
at his farm in Tiniroto
, Gisborne. The arboretum is now known for having one of the largest collections of Mexican
oak
s in the world. During the 1950s and 1960s he was in regular contact with William Douglas Cook
, the founder of Eastwoodhill Arboretum
, Ngatapa, Gisborne. Berry made the first catalogues of this arboretum
, which is now the National Arboretum of New Zealand.
, North Yorkshire
in the United Kingdom. In 1916 the Berry family bought the majority of Abbotsford Station from the Whyte family, the first European settler
s in the area of Tiniroto, a small rural settlement, about halfway along the inland road between Gisborne and Wairoa
. The original property of the Berry family at Tiniroto, called Hackfalls, was sold. The name lapsed, but was then used again for the new property, in 1984.
As Berry grew older he developed an interest in trees for their beauty and botanical
interest. Most farmers, like his father, planted trees mainly for shelter, timber and fencing, and fruit crops. Long shelterbelts of poplars separate the paddocks and the properties at Tiniroto.
During the weekends Berry planted and maintained his growing collection of more unusual trees. Most of the trees were planted around Lake Kaikiore and in the pasture between Lake Kaikiore and Lake Karangata.
Berry took over management of the farm in 1950. From this time on his interest and enthusiasm for what had been a hobby reached a new level.
Berry's interest in trees was strongly influenced by William Douglas Cook, the founder of Eastwoodhill Arboretum.
In 1953, as a member of the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture
, Bob Berry took part in a trip to Eastwoodhill Arboretum. He became a frequent visitor of Eastwoodhill and Douglas Cook offered advice and support to Berry concerning the arboretum at Abbotsford Station.
After Douglas Cook's death, in 1971, Berry started the immense job of making a catalogue of all the trees of Eastwoodhill, with the help of Bill Crooks
.
The first catalogue was published in 1972. In the same year the first list of trees and shrubs of Abbotsford Station was published.
Berry continued updating the catalogue of Eastwoodhill until 1986.
In 1977 a group of members of the International Dendrology Society (IDS) visited Abbotsford Arboretum for the first time.
Berry joined the IDS, and in October 1982 joined a tour to Mexico, which was the beginning of a particular interest in Central American Oaks (Quercus sp.).
This trip was followed by several others to Mexico to collect acorns.
Berry remained in charge of Abbotsford Station until 1984, when his niece, Diane, and her husband Kevin Playle took over the management of the farm. The name of the station changed (back) to Hackfalls Station at that moment, and Berry could spend more time with his trees.
In 1990 Bob Berry welcomed another group of IDS members at Hackfalls Arboretum, led by Lady Anne Palmer
. Later the same year Berry married Lady Anne. She played an important role in the development of the homestead
garden at Hackfalls Station, being an eminent plantswoman in her own right.
In 1993 the arboretum was protected by a covenant with the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust
. It now covers about 50 ha. and contains over 3,500 trees and shrubs.
In July 2006 Bob and Anne Berry left the homestead of Hackfalls Station and moved into the town of Gisborne.
s the main tree collection of his arboretum. However, he soon discovered that the land was better suited to growing oak trees. There are now about 90 different maples, mostly species
, but also some hybrids and cultivar
s. There are 45 species of Mexican oaks, plus several forms and hybrids. Together with specimens from other regions the oaks have reached a total of about 150 different taxa
.
After Cook's death Berry helped “with identifying and labelling. In 1971, increasingly concerned at the lack of a proper catalogue, he began the huge task of locating and identifying every plant and plotting them on a grid laid over an aerial map. With (Bill) Crooks as his right-hand man, Berry produced a catalogue of some 3000 plant species and varieties and with it the proof that Eastwoodhill was worth preserving”.
There were three catalogues produced on typewriter:
From 1993 onward catalogues were made in a wordprocessor:
Later, catalogues were produced in Microsoft Excel
:
In 2008, at the age of 92, Berry started preparations for converting the Excel-catalogue to FilemakerPro
(a proper DBMS).
Gisborne, New Zealand
-Economy:The harbour was host to many ships in the past and had developed as a river port to provide a more secure location for shipping compared with the open roadstead of Poverty Bay which can be exposed to southerly swells. A meat works was sited beside the harbour and meat and wool was shipped...
) is a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
dendrologist
Dendrology
Dendrology or xylology is the science and study of wooded plants . There is no sharp boundary between plant taxonomy and dendrology. However, woody plants not only belong to many different plant families, but these families may be made up of both woody and non-woody members. Some families include...
who founded Hackfalls Arboretum
Hackfalls Arboretum
Hackfalls Arboretum is an arboretum in New Zealand. It was founded in the 1950s by Bob Berry. Hackfalls Arboretum is part of “Hackfalls Station”, a sheep and cattle farm of about 10 square kilometres, owned by the Berry family. Hackfalls is situated in Tiniroto, a tiny village in the eastern part...
at his farm in Tiniroto
Tiniroto
Tiniroto is a small farming and forestry community on the “inland” road from Gisborne to Wairoa in the eastern part of the North Island of New Zealand...
, Gisborne. The arboretum is now known for having one of the largest collections of Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s in the world. During the 1950s and 1960s he was in regular contact with William Douglas Cook
William Douglas Cook
William Douglas Cook was the founder of Eastwoodhill Arboretum, now the national arboretum of New Zealand, and one of the founders of Pukeiti, a rhododendron garden, close to New Plymouth...
, the founder of Eastwoodhill Arboretum
Eastwoodhill Arboretum
Eastwoodhill is the national arboretum of New Zealand. It covers and is located 35 km northwest of Gisborne, in the hill country of Ngatapa. It was founded in 1910 by William Douglas Cook...
, Ngatapa, Gisborne. Berry made the first catalogues of this arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
, which is now the National Arboretum of New Zealand.
Biography
Bob Berry's grandfather had settled in the East Coast area of the North Island of New Zealand in 1889. He originally came from KnaresboroughKnaresborough
Knaresborough is an old and historic market town, spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located on the River Nidd, four miles east of the centre of Harrogate.-History:...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
in the United Kingdom. In 1916 the Berry family bought the majority of Abbotsford Station from the Whyte family, the first European settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
s in the area of Tiniroto, a small rural settlement, about halfway along the inland road between Gisborne and Wairoa
Wairoa
Wairoa is a town in New Zealand's North Island. It is the northernmost town in the Hawke's Bay region, and is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west of Mahia Peninsula...
. The original property of the Berry family at Tiniroto, called Hackfalls, was sold. The name lapsed, but was then used again for the new property, in 1984.
As Berry grew older he developed an interest in trees for their beauty and botanical
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
interest. Most farmers, like his father, planted trees mainly for shelter, timber and fencing, and fruit crops. Long shelterbelts of poplars separate the paddocks and the properties at Tiniroto.
During the weekends Berry planted and maintained his growing collection of more unusual trees. Most of the trees were planted around Lake Kaikiore and in the pasture between Lake Kaikiore and Lake Karangata.
Berry took over management of the farm in 1950. From this time on his interest and enthusiasm for what had been a hobby reached a new level.
Berry's interest in trees was strongly influenced by William Douglas Cook, the founder of Eastwoodhill Arboretum.
In 1953, as a member of the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture
Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture
The Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture is New Zealand's only National Horticultural Society.Their mission is to "Encourage and improve horticulture in New Zealand by promoting the understanding, appreciation, conservation and use of plants"....
, Bob Berry took part in a trip to Eastwoodhill Arboretum. He became a frequent visitor of Eastwoodhill and Douglas Cook offered advice and support to Berry concerning the arboretum at Abbotsford Station.
After Douglas Cook's death, in 1971, Berry started the immense job of making a catalogue of all the trees of Eastwoodhill, with the help of Bill Crooks
Bill Crooks
William Crooks , known as Bill Crooks was manager of Eastwoodhill Arboretum, Ngatapa, Gisborne, from 1967-1974...
.
The first catalogue was published in 1972. In the same year the first list of trees and shrubs of Abbotsford Station was published.
Berry continued updating the catalogue of Eastwoodhill until 1986.
In 1977 a group of members of the International Dendrology Society (IDS) visited Abbotsford Arboretum for the first time.
Berry joined the IDS, and in October 1982 joined a tour to Mexico, which was the beginning of a particular interest in Central American Oaks (Quercus sp.).
This trip was followed by several others to Mexico to collect acorns.
Berry remained in charge of Abbotsford Station until 1984, when his niece, Diane, and her husband Kevin Playle took over the management of the farm. The name of the station changed (back) to Hackfalls Station at that moment, and Berry could spend more time with his trees.
In 1990 Bob Berry welcomed another group of IDS members at Hackfalls Arboretum, led by Lady Anne Palmer
Lady Anne Berry
Lady Anne Sophia Berry is an English and New Zealand horticulturist who founded Rosemoor Garden. She offered the garden to the Royal Horticultural Society in 1988. In 1990 she married Bob Berry and went to live on his farm at Tiniroto, Gisborne, New Zealand...
. Later the same year Berry married Lady Anne. She played an important role in the development of the homestead
Homestead (buildings)
A homestead is either a single building, or collection of buildings grouped together on a large agricultural holding, such as a ranch, station or a large agricultural operation of some other designation.-See also:* Farm house* Homestead Act...
garden at Hackfalls Station, being an eminent plantswoman in her own right.
In 1993 the arboretum was protected by a covenant with the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust
Queen Elizabeth II National Trust
The Queen Elizabeth II National Trust is a statutory New Zealand organisation independent from Government and managed by a Board of Directors...
. It now covers about 50 ha. and contains over 3,500 trees and shrubs.
In July 2006 Bob and Anne Berry left the homestead of Hackfalls Station and moved into the town of Gisborne.
Hackfalls Arboretum
Berry originally planned to make mapleMaple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
s the main tree collection of his arboretum. However, he soon discovered that the land was better suited to growing oak trees. There are now about 90 different maples, mostly species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, but also some hybrids and cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s. There are 45 species of Mexican oaks, plus several forms and hybrids. Together with specimens from other regions the oaks have reached a total of about 150 different taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
.
Eastwoodhill Arboretum
Berry met Douglas Cook, the creator of Eastwoodhill Arboretum, in 1953.After Cook's death Berry helped “with identifying and labelling. In 1971, increasingly concerned at the lack of a proper catalogue, he began the huge task of locating and identifying every plant and plotting them on a grid laid over an aerial map. With (Bill) Crooks as his right-hand man, Berry produced a catalogue of some 3000 plant species and varieties and with it the proof that Eastwoodhill was worth preserving”.
Catalogues Eastwoodhill Arboretum
Catalogues produced on typewriter:- Berry, R. J. - Eastwoodhill Arboretum, Ngatapa; List of Trees and Shrubs. Tiniroto, Febr. 1972. (3-ring folder) ii+77 pgs. (cyclostyled) + (grid-)map 33 x 21,5
- id. 1976
- Berry, R.J. - Eastwoodhill Arboretum. Tree and Shrub List. 1978. 39 pgs.
- Berry, R. J. - Eastwoodhill Arboretum, Ngatapa; List of Trees and Shrubs. Tiniroto, Febr. 1980. ii + 41 pags. + (grid-)map
- Berry, R. J. - Eastwoodhill Arboretum; Catalogue of Trees, Shrubs and Climbers. Tiniroto, March 1982. v + 38 pags. + (grid-)map (A4)
Catalogues Hackfalls Arboretum
The first list of trees and shrubs was hand written in 1963. The last such catalogue was completed in 1970 and included hand drawn grid maps.There were three catalogues produced on typewriter:
- Berry, R. J. - Abbotsford Station, Tiniroto (Property of Berry and Berry); List of Trees and Shrubs. Tiniroto, Aug. 1972 (typoscript, multiplicated via carbon copy).
- Berry, R. J. - Catalogue of Trees, Shrubs and Climbers at Kaikiore Arboretum and Hackfalls Station. Tiniroto 1985. Typoscript. iv + 33 pgs. + (grid-)map.
- Berry, R. J. - Hackfalls Arboretum; Catalogue of Trees and Shrubs. Tiniroto, June 1988. iii+39 pgs. + map.
From 1993 onward catalogues were made in a wordprocessor:
- Berry, R. J. - Hackfalls Arboretum and Station; Catalogue of Trees and Shrubs. Tiniroto, January 1993. 48 pgs. + aerial photo with 100x100 m grid.
- Berry, R. J. - Hackfalls Arboretum. Catalogue of Trees, Shurbs and Climbers. Tiniroto, February 1994. 65 pgs.
- id. 1995. 70 pgs. + aerial photo.
- Berry, R. J. - Hackfalls Garden Catalogue. 1999. 34 pgs.
Later, catalogues were produced in Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is a proprietary commercial spreadsheet application written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications...
:
- Berry, R. J. - Hackfalls Arboretum (and Station); Plant List (List of Trees, Shrubs, Climbers and Ferns). Tiniroto, 2007. 158 pgs.
- Berry, R.J. - Hackfalls Arboretum. Trees, Shrubs, Climbers and Ferns. Abbreviated catalogue. Gisborne, 2008. 49 pgs.
In 2008, at the age of 92, Berry started preparations for converting the Excel-catalogue to FilemakerPro
FileMaker
FileMaker Pro is a cross-platform relational database application from FileMaker Inc., formerly Claris, a subsidiary of Apple Inc. It integrates a database engine with a GUI-based interface, allowing users to modify the database by dragging new elements into layouts, screens, or forms...
(a proper DBMS).
Other publications
- Berry, R. J. - Oaks in New Zealand. In: Farm Forestry, Wellington 1978, p. 2 – 20.
- Berry, Bob – A few reminiscences of a tree planter. In: The Gardener's Journal, Christchurch NZ, issue 1, February 2008, p. 23/24
Awards and honors
- 1991. Associate of Honour of the Royal NZ Institute of Horticulture.
- 2002. Life membership of the NZ Farm Forestry Association.
- 2002. The Arboretum and the Berrys were awarded an International Dendrology Society conservation plaque in recognition of their commitment.
- 2010. Ronald Flook Award. Awarded by the New Zealand Arboricultural Association (NZAA) for Mr. Berry's lifetime achievement working with trees.
Literature
- An. – Eastwoodhill, the colours of an arboretum. Publ. by Eastwoodhill Inc., Ngatapa, Gisborne 2007. ISBN 9780473124717. This book contains a collection of photographs by Gisborne Camera Club Inc. Design and Production by Gray Clapham. Photographic co-ordination: Stephen Jones. Introductory essay: Sheridan Gundry. Botanical descriptions: Paul Wynen.
- Berry, John - A Man's Tall Dream; The Story of Eastwoodhill. Publ. by Eastwoodhill Trust Board, Gisborne 1997. ISBN 0473045613
- Wilkie, Martin – Bob and Lady Anne Berry, and Hackfalls Arboretum: a shared vision and a grand adventure. In: The Gardener's Journal, Christchurch NZ, , issue 1, February 2008, p. 13 – 22