Phipps Conservatory Awarded Level lll Accreditation by ArbNet Arboretum
For Immediate Release: Fri., April 22
Contact: Joe Reed | Director of Marketing and Communications
412-622-6915, ext. 3801 | jreed@phipps.conservatory.org
Phipps Conservatory Awarded Level lll Accreditation by ArbNet Arboretum
Diverse Tree Collection Receives Accreditation
Photo © Paul g. Wiegman
Pittsburgh, PA – Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens has been awarded a Level lll 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. Phipps is 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.
Phipps tree collection includes a wide array of species across its 15 acres. In the Outdoor Garden, there are species ranging from the grand fern leaf European beech tree (Fagus sylvatica 'Asplenifolia') to the kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) and weeping cherry tree (Prunus pendula 'Pendula Rosea'). Inside the conservatory, palms, fruiting trees and tropical forest natives like the newly acquired Acacia koa highlight the efficacy and multitude of uses that have bonded people to trees throughout history. On the front lawn, 70-year-old dawn redwoods (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), which were seeded from the first North American collection after their rediscovery in China and previously thought extinct, provide an awe-striking link to prehistoric Earth.
“ArbNet accreditation is a new height of excellence in Phipps’ commitment to tree management, education and conservation,” says Richard Piacentini. “We are honored to join this prestigious network of institutions and connect to their rich knowledge and resources around the care of trees.”
To learn more about ArbNet, visit arbnet.org.
About Phipps: Founded in 1893, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA is a globally recognized green leader with a mission to inspire and educate all with the beauty and importance of plants; to advance sustainability and promote human and environmental well-being through action and research; and to celebrate its historic glasshouse. Encompassing 15 acres including a historic 14-room glasshouse, 23 distinct indoor and outdoor gardens and industry-leading sustainable architecture and operations, Phipps attracts more than half a million visitors annually from around the world. Learn more at phipps.conservatory.org.
About ArbNet: ArbNet is an interactive, collaborative, international community of arboreta. ArbNet facilitates the sharing of knowledge, experience, and other resources to help arboreta meet their institutional goals and works to raise professional standards through the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program. 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. The program offers four levels of accreditation, recognizing arboreta of various degrees of development, capacity and professionalism. Standards include planning, governance, public access, programming and tree science, planting and conservation. More information is available at arbnet.org.
Watch TEDx: What We Can Learn From an Old Glasshouse: A look at the evolving way we connect people to nature at Phipps, demonstrate how human and environmental health are inextricably connected, and show that to age gracefully, we must continually reinvent ourselves to evolve with the rest of the world.
