Faculty Q+A: Kim Steiner, Director of The Arboretum at Penn State

Name: Kim C. Steiner

Position: Professor of Forest Biology, Director of the Arboretum at Penn State

Education: B.S., Colorado State University (1970); M.S., Michigan State University (1971); Ph.D., Michigan State University (1975)

Web sites: 

https://www.sfr.cas.psu.edu/Faculty/steiner.htm

https://www.arboretum.psu.edu/about/steiner.html

Arboretum Web Cam

Where are you from?

Alton, Illinois

What exactly do you teach at Penn State?

I teach a course in dendrology at present but have taught others under the general topic of forest biology in the past. My great ambition right now is to find the time to put together a course in forest history.

How did you find yourself at Penn State?

As I was about to get out of the Army, with a pregnant wife and child to support, I was desperate to find a job, and Penn State made me an offer. It seemed strange to us to move to Pennsylvania, because we never contemplated coming east, but we fell in love with Penn State.

How/why did you get involved with the Arboretum?

I was appointed to an arboretum committee by Provost Larson and President Oswald in 1975, so I have been involved in some fashion almost as long as I have been at Penn State. A few of us restarted the effort in 1993, and in 1995 I became the leader of that group by default when no one else wanted the job.

What does you hope to see it become and when?

My most ambitious hope has been realized — that we have a facility that is worthy of the name \”The Arboretum at Penn State.\” I want to see it grow substantially in size and quality, and I\’m sure it will.

What other projects/research have you been involved in throughout your career?

Well, quite a few, and some that I\’m proud of. I\’ve had some important leadership roles within my professional society. Since 1996 my students, colleagues, and I have been engaged in long-term research on the process of oak forest regeneration, and that project has yielded gratifying results. And for the past several years I\’ve been rather heavily involved with restoration of the American chestnut as vice-chair for science of the Board of Directors of The American Chestnut Foundation. In fact, one of the two seed orchards of blight-resistant chestnut is under development within the arboretum (the other is in Virginia).

Where is the best spot to see the trees changing color?

Vermont, maybe? 

What is your favorite sport at Penn State?

I\’m not a strong sports fan, but I would have to say track and cross country because one of my sons ran for Coach Harry Groves.

What do you do for fun?

I greatly enjoy reading, and I have a home shop where I tinker. But every summer my wife and I do something adventurous — wilderness backpacking or canoe trips, or (lately) tours of America by motorcycle.