Waugh Arboretum Awarded Level IV Accreditation by ArbNet

Image

The Frank A. Waugh Arboretum, which covers most of the UMass Amherst campus, has been awarded a Level IV Accreditation by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program for achieving high standards of professional practices for arboreta and botanic gardens.

Jack Ahern, professor of landscape architecture and director of the arboretum, said, “ArbNet represents the international community of arboreta and offers standards of professional practice and four levels of accreditation. Its Level IV accreditation, the highest level, recognizes the arboretum’s tree collection diversity, management policy, public access and engagement with research.” 

The arboretum was founded in 1944 and named after the landscape architect pioneer Frank A. Waugh, who was the first head of what is now the university’s landscape architecture and regional planning department.

It serves as a living laboratory for university and Five-College research in landscape architecture, botany, horticulture, forestry, ecological restoration and plant sciences and a resource center for external professionals such as landscape architects, nursery professionals, and amateur gardeners.

The Waugh Arboretum Committee is planning a number of public events for Arbor Day, April 27, including the Class of 2018 tree planting and campus tree walks.

The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program is sponsored and coordinated by The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, in cooperation with American Public Gardens Association and Botanic Gardens Conservation International. The Frank A. Waugh Arboretum is also now recognized as an accredited arboretum in the Morton Register of Arboreta, a database of the world’s arboreta and gardens dedicated to woody plants.