Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn Environmental Leader and Innovator | Page 16

People and Happenings
Volunteer Profile:
Thibaut Collin:
Plant Records Volunteer
By Stephen Jackson,
Plant Records Manager & Plant Propagator
Thibaut Collin joine d Mount
Auburn’s horticulture volunteer group
in October of 2013 and has since
been a great contributor to the team.
He and his wife recently moved to
the U.S. from France, where he was
a nurseryman. Thibaut’s experience
has allowed him to immediately help
Thibaut Collin
with horticulture and plant records
tasks with minimal supervision. He
nearly single-handedly performed this year’s inventory and
measuring of the trees on our “Big Trees” and “Unique
Trees” maps, while at the same time checking and fixing
tree labels on the grounds. Thibaut has also contributed to
the woody plant propagation program by collecting and
Welcome Our New Trustees
James F. Hunnewell, Patricia B. Jacoby, and Sean McDonnell
(l to r) were appointed to Mount Auburn’s Board of Trustees at the
Annual Meeting of Proprietors in October. Their collective expertise
in preservation, education, outreach, and fundraising will greatly
benefit the Cemetery in the years to come.
14 | Sweet Auburn
sowing tree seed, taking cuttings, and experimenting with
propagation techniques. Thibaut’s great attitude, work ethic,
and plant knowledge have immensely helped the plant
records department this year.
When asked about his work in France and what led him
to become a horticulturist, Thibaut responded: “Before I
moved to the U.S.A. last year, I used to work as a Nurs-
ery and Greenhouse Assistant Manager at Pépinières Rey
in the Lyon area of France. We were growing diversified
potted plants like shrubs, conifers, climbers, and roses on
25 acres and I was particularly in charge of managing their
health care. Prior to that, I studied horticulture in Angers
(France) and agronomy in Montpellier (France) where I
obtained a Master’s Degree in 2007.
“I have always been interested in the sciences and curious
about plants. I believe horticulture is a good mix between
physical and intellectual work, for which team spirit is im-
portant, and a fulfilling link to nature and seasons. Everyday
is a different challenge and you get rewarded when your
crops look healthy and well-shaped. Volunteering here is
a great experience: you meet good people and enjoy a
beautiful working environment.”
Horticulture Internship
We are delighted to
announce that Jennifer
Borkowski will be a
special year-long intern
in the Horticulture
Department starting this
summer. Ms. Borkowski
graduated from the
Stockbridge School of
Agriculture at UMass
Amherst in May 2014
with an Associate’s Degree in Arboriculture and is a gradu-
ate of Norfolk County Agricultural High School. She was
an intern at Arnold Arboretum in 2011 and a gardening
intern at Mount Auburn during the summer of 2013.
During her twelve-month stay, Jennifer will work under
the supervision of the Horticultural Curator and the
Superintendent of Grounds and gain experience working
in plant records and mapping, greenhouse propagation,
nursery, experimental garden, arboriculture, gardening, and
general grounds maintenance. This internship was gener-
ously funded by two anonymous donors and will help
with several important horticultural initiatives, such as
increasing conifer diversification as a response to Hemlock
woolly adelgid, exploring ecological sustainability in land-
scape operations, wildlife habitat enhancement, historic
landscape preservation, and plant production.