Tree Planting Ceremony

Late in 2021, an 85-year-old California buckeye that was an iconic feature of the Native American Contemplative Garden broke apart due to old age. Original members of the Committee to Honor Patwin and Native Americans at UC Davis, along with Arboretum and Public Garden horticulturists, decided to leave the trunk in place and incorporate it into the garden’s design. A tree planting ceremony was held in 2022, during which members of the original committee and other attendees helped to plant California buckeye saplings and a Western redbud near the fallen tree. View select photos of the ceremony and tree planting below and visit the Arboretum and Public Garden's Flickr album for more photos from the event.

We may have opportunities for volunteers to join in plantings related to the Native American Honoring Project. If you are interested in participating in future planting opportunities, please contact [email protected].

Tree Planting Ceremony - March 4, 2022

Woman reading aloud from a book outdoors to a small seated audience under a large tree

Kathleen Socolofsky, assistant vice chancellor and director of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, speaks during the tree planting ceremony held in the Native American Contemplative Garden.

Outdoor memorial: masked woman reads at podium while seated attendees listen

Renetta Tull, vice chancellor for Inclusive Excellence, speaks during the tree planting ceremony held in the Native American Contemplative Garden.

Man speaking at stone podium at small outdoor memorial among trees and purple flowers

Ari Kelman, faculty advisor to the chancellor and provost, speaks during the tree planting ceremony held in the Native American Contemplative Garden.

Woman speaking to seated audience in a small outdoor woodland gathering

Emily Griswold, nursery manager, speaks during the tree planting ceremony held in the Native American Contemplative Garden.

Volunteers planting tree saplings by a brick campus building on a sunny day

Abbey Hart, left, nursery manager for the Arboretum and Public Garden at UC Davis, and Juan Ávila Hernandez, lecturer in the UC Davis Department of Native American Studies, plant tree saplings near the Native American Contemplative Garden.

Two masked volunteers kneeling and planting a tree sapling near the Native American Contemplative Garden

Michelle Villegas-Frazier, left, and Abbey Hart, nursery manager for the Arboretum and Public Garden at UC Davis, plant saplings near the Native American Contemplative Garden. Villegas-Frazier is the executive director of the Strategic Native American Retention Initiative and The Nest and an advisor to the provost on Native American/Alaskan Native and First Nations Affairs.

Two volunteers kneeling, planting a tree sapling in a community garden, wearing gloves and masks.

Dillon McKay of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, one of three federally recognized Patwin tribes, assists Emily Griswold in the planting of a western redbud to accompany the buckeye saplings. McKay is the son of Marshall McKay, former chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and valued partner and supporter of UC Davis.