Washington University in St. Louis has been awarded a Level 1 accreditation by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and the Morton Arboretum for achieving standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program is the only global initiative to officially recognize arboreta at various levels of development, capacity and professionalism.
The Danforth Campus boasts 169 acres featuring a diverse collection of trees. The 4,200 trees on campus range from well-established historical trees to newly planted, climate-resilient ones. Among these trees is the American basswood, which stands in Brookings Quadrangle, and the tulip poplar, an offspring of one of the original tulip poplars planted by George Washington at Mount Vernon in 1785.
The only other accredited arboreta in St. Louis are the Missouri Botanical Garden, Tower Grove Park and Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum.
Washington University also is a Tree Campus USA.
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