William & Mary earns global status as an arboretum

William & Mary joins 900 other arboreta in 40 different countries in earning accreditation Photo by Stephen Salpukas

William & Mary's campus - long celebrated for its sweeping green space and its cathedral-like canopy - has earned formal recognition as a level one arboretum through ArbNet, the only global accreditation program dedicated specifically to arboreta.

The designation places William & Mary among nearly 900 accredited arboreta in 40 countries and formally acknowledges what faculty and grounds staff have cultivated for generations: a living, curated collection of trees and woody plants that serves research, teaching, conservation and public enjoyment purposes.

The university's curated collection of trees and woody plants offers benefits both public and private, said Chief Business Officer Sean Hughes.

"The campus arboretum is a living and teaching asset stewarded by dedicated faculty and staff, documented through an arboretum plan and open to the public for education and enjoyment," he said. "It is a crown jewel for the university."

A living collection, not just landscaping

Accreditation at level one requires institutions to meet professional standards for collections, planning and public access, including the identification and labeling of trees. Led by Martha Case, conservator of botanical collections and associate professor of biology, William & Mary has already identified about 100 known species of trees on 250 acres of campus.

"This is a statement that the university is committed to this project," said Case. "It transforms our historic botanical legacy into a fully curated, accessible resource using modern tools."

Chad Peevy, the urban forester for grounds & gardens, estimates there are nearly 77,000 individual trees on campus, some of them rare in Virginia. Among the standouts is a towering dawn redwood - Metasequoia glyptostroboides - planted decades ago between Ewell Hall and the Crim Dell meadow. Once known only from fossils until living specimens were discovered in China in the 1940s, the species is often described as a "living fossil." The campus specimen planted by Professor John T. Baldwin Jr. is a Virginia state champion measuring 113 feet tall with a girth of 173 inches.

Nearby grow two coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens), Japanese cedars (Cryptomeria japonica) and other distinctive species that are part of the Baldwin Memorial Collection of Woody Species, designated so by the Board of Visitors. A sprawling white mulberry (Morus alba) north of Jefferson Hall - possibly tied to the era of George Washington - remains one of the most beloved trees on campus.

Other W&M trees are also of high conservation interest as they represent rare specimens collected from seeds in the wild, Case said.

The College Woods further deepen the university's ecological richness, supporting diverse plant and animal communities and serving as an outdoor laboratory providing for 1,000 teaching and research opportunities each year.

Modern tools for a 21st-century arboretum

While William & Mary once offered a "Campus Tour of Woody Species," Case describes that guide as "a historic document" - text-heavy and outdated, with some trees no longer present or labeled.

Now, new digital infrastructure is bringing the collection into the 21st century. QR code-bearing placards have been installed on dozens of trees. Visitors can scan the code to access the William & Mary Arboretum Explorer, an interactive online platform that provides mapped locations, photographs, conservator notes and additional resources. Users can also browse by species and follow their own walking routes.

The "Tree-mendous Trek" tour allows visitors to see a map of all labeled plants and will continue to grow as new trees are labeled. Other tours will highlight thematic collections such as native species or fall color tours.

"The software is on par with the best arboreta tools around," Case said.

The database does more than guide visitors - it creates institutional memory.

Construction, storms and disease have cost the campus roughly 1,000 trees in the last 30 years, including many historic specimens - about 25% of the collection's diversity, according to Case. Previously, there was no centralized mechanism to review impacts to significant trees that were lost.

"For the first time in university history, we're going to have records, enabling us to make more informed decisions and helping us better accomplish our academic mission," Case said. "Years from now, we will know the history of a tree, from its origins, to how it responded to horticultural interventions, to its historical, conservation and academic value."

Decades in the making

Although the accreditation application was completed over the past year - building on momentum from the university's Year of the Environment - the groundwork began much earlier. Faculty botanists in the mid-20th century imported seeds from gardens they visited during research and travel abroad, enriching the campus with heirloom cultivars and unusual species.

"The faculty have really done the heavy lift in getting this done," said Tony Orband, associate director of grounds and gardens, crediting Case and generations of professors who came before her with carefully planted and documented specimens.

The new status also plugs William & Mary into an international network of arboreta, opening doors for research collaboration and global data-sharing through organizations such as the Morton Arboretum, the American Public Gardens Association and Botanic Gardens Conservation International.

Looking ahead

Level one accreditation is valid for five years and can be renewed. Case emphasizes that moving to level two will require more than just labels and policy documents. "An arboretum our size typically requires more professional staff than we have," she said.

For Case, the arboretum is not just decorative - it is a tremendous academic asset and resource.

"It isn't just labeling trees. It's supporting teaching, research and conservation," she said. "It's like a museum with a living collection."

Orband agrees.

"Having recently finished the 100-year landscaping framework plan, this fits perfectly within it so we continue focusing attention on opportunities to beautify and steward the campus," he said.

Susan Corbett, Communications Specialist

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