The Inner Bluegrass is not only a beautiful landscape but one of the most environmentally distinct areas in the eastern United States. Ashland is nestled in the center of the Inner Bluegrass, and it retains a variety of old growth native tree species, which are rare in an urban environment. Ashland is an accredited Level I arboretum with over 600 trees belonging to 44 species. It is home to multiple noteworthy trees: two blue ash trees that predate Henry Clay at nearly 300 years old, a Kentucky Big Tree Champion tulip poplar, a Kentucky Big Tree Champion paper birch, the current Kentucky State Champion Washington hawthorn, living fossil ginkgo trees, and many others native to the Inner Bluegrass region.
To make this wealth of native biodiversity more accessible to the public and in support of our efforts to move from an accredited Level I to Level II arboretum, the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation introduces this interactive tree map. This map is designed to give visitors the ability to locate interesting features on the estate, such as the peony beds, native tree species, historical content, and Kentucky State Champion trees.
This project has been a collaborative effort between Ryan Kelly and the staff at Ashland to make information about the grounds more accessible to its visitors. Each species of tree on the estate is represented on the map by a “tree” icon. Click the icon to see an image, to read its scientific name, whether it is native or imported, and its location on the estate. In addition to the tree icons, there are icons for points of interest, like the icehouses, and public facilities. We hope this map will be a useful tool for first time and recurring visitors alike.
About This Map
Map created by Ryan Kelly, Professor of Geography, GISP, Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Lexington, Kentucky.
The map, tree ID tags, and our new Pocket Guide to Ashland were made possible with a grant from the Bluegrass Charity Ball.
About the Data
This map features data collected by Ashland staff using Trimble GPS and Android phone apps. Special thanks to our neighbor Cindy Deitz for the countless hours she invested in data collection and ensuring data accuracy.