Springfield Preservation and Revitalization (SPAR) announced the launch of the Historic Springfield TreeWalks & Springfield Arboretum.This initiative, funded through an Environmental Humanities Project Grant from Florida Humanities, the statewide nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and The Mosaic Company will be a free public program that explores Florida’s environmental heritage. 

Through expert-led walking tours and the creation of a permanent neighborhood arboretum, the project will transform the Springfield Historic District into a living classroom. This initiative aims to connect environmental history, cultural memory, and contemporary community life.“Springfield’s tree canopy is a critical part of our neighborhood and contributes to the design that defines the historic character of our community,” said Michael Haskins, Executive Director of SPAR. “This program invites residents to explore and celebrate that connection and to learn how they can protect and enrich it over time.”

The work Project One Health JAX is doing in Springfield aligns well with this new SPAR initiative. 

“Springfield’s trail stewards will receive training on the neighborhood’s tree canopy to prepare them to incorporate this knowledge into historic tours,” said Dr. Laureen Husband with Partnership for Child Health, the leading partner organization for Project One Health JAX in the Springfield neighborhood. “This will also strengthen their ability to identify and understand different tree species—particularly distinguishing fast-growing varieties from historically significant trees like live oaks and magnolias. We see this as a natural complement to the TreeWalks and Arboretum initiative and a way to further deepen community engagement, education and work force development.”

Quarterly TreeWalks Through Springfield

The Historic Springfield TreeWalks will feature four quarterly walking tours led by subject-matter experts.

Each 90-minute tour will accommodate up to 30 participants and will emphasize open discussion and community engagement rather than traditional lecture-style instruction. Tour topics and presenters include:

Urban Forestry and Tree Health
Jonathan Colburn, M.Sc.
ISA Board Certified Master Arborist and Urban Forestry Manager, City of Jacksonville

Integrated Urban Ecology
Daniel Ashworth, Jr., AICP, RLA, ASLA
Senior Landscape Architecture Manager, GAI Consultants

Native Florida Flora and Urban Biodiversity
Andrew Gerren
Ethnobotanist and founder of Sacred Herbs & Botanicals

Climate-Responsive Architecture
Michael Montoya, M.Arch.
Lecturer, University of Florida School of Architecture

Creating the Springfield Arboretum

In addition to the walking tours, SPAR will establish the Springfield Arboretum by installing 35 permanent tree identification tags throughout the district.

Spanning Springfield’s one-square-mile historic neighborhood, the arboretum will become the first publicly accessible arboretum of its kind in Duval County.

Each tree tag will include:

  • The tree’s common and scientific name
  • Taxonomic family
  • Region of origin
  • A QR code linking to additional interpretive content, neighborhood stories, and a digital arboretum map

All digital resources will be available in English and Spanish to ensure accessibility for the broader community. By blending environmental history, urban ecology, and neighborhood storytelling, the Historic Springfield TreeWalks and Springfield Arboretum will create new opportunities for residents and visitors to connect with Springfield’s landscape and heritage.

How to Participate

All TreeWalk events are free and open to the public.

For more information and to register for upcoming walking tours, click here https://www.sparcouncil.org/