BACK TO TOP ABOUT THE MISSION OF STARHILL FOREST

About Guy & Edie Sternberg, founders of Starhill Forest Arboretum

• Guy Sternberg is a certified arborist and a retired landscape architect. He served on the staff of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for thirty-two years and currently is the owner and manager of Starhill Forest Arboretum, which holds one of the most extensive oak genus (Quercus) living reference collections in North America.

Guy works with the National Famous and Historic Tree Program to promote awareness and appreciation of special historic trees, and was the tree consult and propagator for a special tree nursery serving Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield Illinois, the setting of President Abraham Lincoln's Tomb. He is the principal author of the reference books Landscaping with Native Trees and Native Trees for North American Landscapes.

Guy has also provided articles and photographs for numerous periodicals including American Nurseryman, Arborist News, American Gardener, Landscape Architecture, Fine Gardening, Country Woman, and Old House Journal. He has been a contributor for several volumes in Houghton-Mifflin's Taylor's Garden Encyclopedia series, including Taylor's Master Guide to Gardening, and for Taunton Press, Ortho, Timber Press, Reader's Digest, Meredith, Better Homes & Gardens, and Brooklyn Botanic Garden horticulture books.

Guy is a tree consultant, writer, lecturer, and photographer. He and Edie have propagated and grown thousands of species of trees, both native and non-native, at Starhill Forest. He was the first president of the International Oak Society and is a life member of the International Dendrology Society, International Society of Arboriculture, and American Forests.

• Edie Sternberg is the engine, brakes, and throttle behind the scenes. She manages our accounts, coordinates with our developing Arboretum Friends group, handles exotic species control, and works with the herbs, dunes gardens, and other herbaceous plant areas. Edie has a degree in zoology and is our resident wildlife consultant. She also coordinates our involvement with the many charitable organizations we assist, and serves on the boards of several of them as well as with local agencies such as the County Board of Health, Tourism Commission, Planning Commission, and Menard Trails and Greenways.

For almost 30 years, Edie lived in a parallel universe where she served as chief of health promotion and chronic diseases for the Illinois Department of Public Health. Her business travels took her throughout Illinois and the nation, and she never left home without a "hit list" of seed or photo requests being thrust into her hand. Some of the young trees and other photos you see on this web site resulted from her success in meeting those challenges.

• Visits are scheduled to Starhill Forest Arboretum in Petersburg, IL, for tours, discussions, lectures, etc., and to see the work done at the Arboretum. Guy Sternberg also travels worldwide, giving presentations to interested groups in any English-speaking country, tailored for any audience level.

• If you or your group have an interest in the work of Starhill Forest Arboretum, and would like to learn about the breeding, raising and studying of trees at Starhill Forest Arboretum,
Contact STARHILLFOREST ARBORETUM to discuss getting together.

 BACK TO TOP