Landscape Architecture & Horticulture

Back to Blog September 1, 2022

Temple Ambler Reflects on First Anniversary of Tornado Damage

Author: Emily Herbein

On the first anniversary of the tornado that ravaged much of the Temple Ambler campus arboretum and greenery, Tyler's Landscape Architecture and Horticulture faculty reflected on the rebuilding process and educational benefits found in recovery efforts and regrowth.

Sasha Eisenmann, Associate Professor and Chair of Architecture and Environmental Design, Kate Wingert-Playdon, Associate Dean and Director of Architecture and Environmental Design, and Kathy Salisbury, Ambler Arboretum Director and adjunct professor of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture, spoke with both Temple Now and The Philadelphia Inquirer about the storm's devastation and what the community has learned about resilience.

Faculty are viewing this period as an enormous educational opportunity, and researchers across other schools such as Rutgers University and the University of Pittsburgh have reached out to Temple inquiring about study options. "We’re going to be able to collect all kinds of new data as the forest recovers, and I cannot think of another place where that’s occurred, quite frankly. It’s a wonderful research opportunity for our students, our faculty and for our research collaborators," Salisbury tells Temple Now. 

Read more about Temple Ambler's rebuilding process from Temple Now and from The Philadelphia Inquirer.

 Photo credit: Ryan S. Brandenberg