Greenwood Heights

Green-Wood Cemetery awarded Level II Accreditation

June 25, 2015 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Photo courtesy of the Green-Wood Historic Fund
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The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum have announced that Green-Wood Cemetery has been awarded a Level II Accreditation.

By achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens, Green-Wood Cemetery is now recognized as an accredited arboretum in The Morton Register of Arboretum.

Named a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Green-Wood Cemetery was established in 1838, one of the first in the “Rural Cemetery Movement.” Green-Wood was founded on the premise that a cemetery should be a serene and beautiful place for the living and a dignified place for the deceased. Its 478 acres comprise one of the oldest landscapes in New York City.

The grounds of Green-Wood Cemetery include more than 7,000 individually inventoried shade and ornamental trees. The tree resource comprises 172 different species and hybrids representing 76 different genera. Many mature trees on the grounds are presumed to have been planted or were maintained early in the cemetery’s history and still thrive today.

More than 250,000 people visit the cemetery annually to experience the beautiful landscapes, the views of New York Harbor, and the magnificent collections of 19th- and 20th-century sculptures, architecture and living collection of trees. Historic and arboreal tours of Green-Wood are offered regularly, and the grounds are open to the public every day of the year. 

“Green-Wood offers an extraordinary opportunity to see a very diverse and mature collection of trees,” said Scot Medbury, president of Brooklyn Botanic Garden and member of Green-Wood’s Board of Trustees. “ArbNet accreditation not only validates Green-Wood’s longstanding commitment to its living collections, but it helps get the word out to a larger community that this cemetery is a special place dedicated to maintaining a high standard of tree curation, conservation and public education.”

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