arboretum

ArbNet created its Arboretum Accreditation Program to establish and share a widely recognized set of industry standards for the purpose of unifying the arboretum community. No other international program of accreditation exists that is specific to arboreta. Any arboretum or public garden with a substantial focus on woody plants may apply. Accreditation is based on self-assessment and documentation of an arboretum’s level of achievement of accreditation standards including planning, governance, number of species, staff or volunteer support, education and public programming, and tree science research and conservation. The ArbNet Accredited Arboreta exists within the Morton Register of Arboreta with its international headquarters in Lisle, Illinois, USA.

As of December 2024, there were 2,502 arboreta registered worldwide. There are four levels of registered arboreta. Level I through Level IV. Mount Bethel Cemetery submitted the necessary documentation to qualify for Level I status. On December 19, 2024 Mount Bethel Cemetery was awarded accreditation as a Level I arboretum (meeting the qualification minimum). This accreditation will certainly generate further development in the years to come. Spring 2025 we will begin a thorough plan to expand planting and nurturing. In decades past, Mount Bethel Cemetery claimed over 70 trees. The cemetery, as of January 2025, can only claim 25. This number will grow. 

Before the arrival of Spring 2025, we will have chosen appropriate locations within the cemetery to plant, with a focus on varieties of species as we consider each tree’s growth pattern and depth and spread of their root system. In Spring 2025, planting will begin as we reach out to businesses and the community for help to purchase the trees we need. Starting size of the trees will depend on the funding we can attain. As we are sanctioned to choose a wide variety of species we must remain focused on planting the necessary trees to meet our goal.

Friend and associate to Mount Bethel Cemetery is Daniel Johnson who was instrumental in attaining our accreditation. Dan will also be acting as Arboretum Curator during this phase of our evolution.