Laurelwood Arboretum Level II Accreditation has been renewed by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum.  Accreditation is awarded for achieving standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens.  Level II criteria include having a minimum of 100 species, varieties or cultivars of trees or woody plants; having a defined collections policy; and supporting enhanced educational and public programs relating to trees.  Laurelwood is also recognized as an accredited arboretum in the Morton Register of Arboreta, a database of the world’s arboreta and gardens dedicated to woody plants.

“Our Plant Collection Management Committee, led by Lorraine LaShell, has worked diligently for the past several years identifying, cataloging and tagging our special collections of trees, rhododendrons and native plants and built our collections database with 2,000 separate listings to date,” said Georgette Moesch, president of Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum. “As a volunteer organization, we are proud of this accomplishment.”

ArbNet is an interactive, collaborative, international community of arboreta.  The accreditation program, sponsored and coordinated by The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois in cooperation with American Public Gardens Association and Botanic Gardens Conservation International, is the only global initiative to officially recognize arboreta based on a set of professional standards.  More information is available at www.arbnet.org.