![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Tree_220616a034-200x300.jpg\")
\u201cThis kind of birch likes moist soil and they don\u2019t respond well when subjected to extreme heat, so this is a very nice spot for them,\u201d Mark Brand, a UConn professor of horticulture in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources<\/a>, said recently while pointing out the healthy young trees on a refreshing summer morning.<\/p>\n \u201cThe original Dahurian birch meant a lot to many people,\u201d said Brand, who collected its seed-carrying catkins from the original swing tree in 2018 to continue the line by growing saplings<\/a>. \u201cHaving not known how the new plantings would do, it\u2019s nice to see them growing so well.\u201d<\/p>\n The Dahurian birch, also known as an Asian black birch, is rare in the U.S. and usually only seen at arboreta, botanical gardens, and some university campuses.<\/p>\n UConn\u2019s birch was one of two originally planted near Mirror Lake, and was about 70 years old \u2013 about the natural end of that species\u2019 typical life — when it started to fail in 2018, prompting the need to remove it a year later despite attempts to bolster its health.<\/p>\n It was special to generations of UConn students who enjoyed the tree\u2019s shade on sunny days, sat under it to watch ducks and birds, enjoyed the two swings that were added to its branches in the early 2010s, and wrote in the community journal<\/a> placed nearby for the last three years of the tree\u2019s life.<\/p>\n Now, two of its successors are growing quickly near a garden and benches<\/a> installed by Swan Lake in fall 2020 to commemorate the original tree, and two others are planted nearby to the east of the benches near the lake\u2019s south shore.<\/p>\n Unlike the original birch near Mirror Lake, the new trees will not have swings added to them; the young branches would not respond well to the stress, and the soil at the roots needs to be loose enough for water to seep through, not compacted by people standing or walking on those spots.<\/p>\n The Dahurian birch species is native to northern China, Korea, and Japan, and specimen trees usually range from about 40 to 60 feet at maturity, according to the UConn Plant Database<\/a>.<\/p>\n Also known by its scientific name, Betula davurica<\/em>, UConn\u2019s swing tree was the only known example of that species in this region and was frequently photographed, including when it used to be lit up during the holidays while it was still in good health.<\/p>\n A second Dahurian birch tree once grew on campus on the opposite side of Mirror Lake, but that tree fell victim to the bronze birch borer insect about 15 years ago.<\/p>\n The UConn Storrs campus is an arboretum in itself due to the number and variety of trees planted over the years on its acreage, many of which are unusual species that aren\u2019t native to the area and were specifically selected to add diversity and beauty.<\/p>\n The UConn Arboretum Committee works with University offices and departments to oversees plans to care for the 5,096 trees<\/a> identified as currently existing on its Storrs campus, including the Dahurian birch \u201cswing tree\u201d successors near Swan Lake.<\/p>\n
![\"Former](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Betsy-Craccos-swing-tree-225x300.jpg\")