Download Plant Collections Operating Plan 2012 - Strategic Plan

LIVING PLANT COLLECTIONS DIVISION
2012 Operating Plan
Goals
1
2
The Garden’s plant collections, adapted to the
regional climate and landscape, will be
accessible and useful to its many publics; will
achieve defined standards; and will continue
to deepen through specialized collections that
support research. The Garden will conduct a
vigorous program of national and
international plant exploration to diversify the
collections, collect plant types better adapted
to our climate, and create collections of
excellence.
The Garden will lead the world in living-plant
record keeping and public access, both
physically and virtually. It will also be an
essential resource about plants and plant
science for its many constituencies, including
the public, educators, landscape architects,
scientists, and local agencies and
municipalities.
3/21/2012
Objectives
Deliverables
1
Increase the Garden’s Living Plant Collection’s
genetic diversity and public outreach.
2
Conduct Collections-based research.
 Increase the number of taxa in the Garden’s
permanent plant collections by 300 net taxa
(currently 9,500). (Increase woody plant taxa by
100 and herbaceous perennial taxa by 175.)
 Establish a process with the Plant Production
department to minimize a plant’s stay in Plant
Production and get plants out of Production into
the collections as soon as possible. Implement it.
 Finish building the database for Siberian iris and
secure taxa.
 Set up plant collecting trip to the Republic of
Georgia.
 Teach classes at IIT:
o Ecology and Materials Workshop: Plants
and Planning
o Grasses, Forbs, and Perennials
 Collaborate with Science staff to create an
adaptive tree planting list for urban landscapes.
 Document plant responses to climatic change
(temperatures and day-lengths) (College First
Stroger project).
1
Create the best-curated living plant collection in a
North American public garden.
2
Become a national and international leader in the
use of technology for plant collections
documentation and information dissemination.
Expand the Garden’s international partnerships.
3
Status
 Conduct a tree health assessment project.
 Complete fourth year of shortened five-year cycle
to inventory, label (accession tags and display
labels), and map the Garden’s collections.
 Work with Information Systems and contractors
to complete the upgrade of Plant Record
databases to Sequel.
 Rewrite the grant proposal to implement the
Chicagoland Grows model for the Institute of
Botany in the Republic of Georgia to aid in their
self-sufficiency and provide financial support for
the Garden’s plant introduction program and to
reflect the realities in Georgia, which have
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changed since the proposal was first created.
The Garden will lead the world in living-plant
record keeping and public access, both
physically and virtually. It will also be an
essential resource about plants and plant
science for its many constituencies, including
the public, educators, landscape architects,
scientists, and local agencies and
municipalities. (cont’d)
3/21/2012
4 Increase access to all living plant-related
databases held at the Garden for staff and the
public.
 Support Marketing and Development in the
creation of an interactive computer program and
stations for visitors and on the web to locate
plants in the collection, funded by the IMLS
grant.
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