HARVARD UNIVERSITY HERBARIA

A water pipe burst and flooded the Harvard University Herbaria in Massachusetts. BELFOR freeze dried and restored a collection of valuable plant specimens.

With more than five million specimens, the Harvard University of Herbaria are among the 10 largest Herbaria in the world and, along with the library, form the world’s largest university-owned herbarium.

The Harvard University of Herbaria are collections of pressed, dried plant specimens that are used by researchers and scientists around the world. The specimens are carefully mounted on sheets of archival quality paper, labeled with important information, and stored on shelves in cabinets.

During a holiday break, a water pipe burst causing an immediate flood in the University’s Herbaria. Staff members were able to remove the wet specimens from the cases, asses the degree of wetness, put saturated specimens in plastic bags, and place them in a large walk-freezer. Slightly wet sheets were spread on dry surfaces to air-dry.

“We were so pleased at how well the specimens were handled by BELFOR. None of the specimens showed any signs of physical damage, so we know they were handled with care. We would certainly recommend BELFOR to anyone who had the same kind of damage to specimens ”

DAVID E. BOUFFORD
Senior Research Scientist