The Coastal Carolina University Arboretum has been upgraded to a Level II Accreditation by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens. The program is the only global initiative to officially recognize arboreta based on a set of professional standards. In addition to the recent upgrade, CCU’s arboretum is recognized as an accredited arboretum in the Morton Register of Arboreta, a database of the world’s arboreta and gardens dedicated to woody plants.

CCU’s arboretum began in Fall 2019 as a 1.5-acre area of campus with more than 100 trees that a group of students wanted to preserve. After a formal proposal by the students to the University administration, that small arboretum was approved. By Fall 2022, the arboretum was expanded to include all 322 acres of main campus and it earned ArbNet Accreditation Level I, with the original area celebrated as the primary Native Species Collection.

One year later, with the development of a comprehensive public-facing tree inventory of more than 1,800 trees, new experiential learning opportunities, and community outreach and engagement activities, CCU’s arboretum has been upgraded to ArbNet Accreditation Level II. The mission of the arboretum is to be a place of education, research, discovery, and wellness for CCU students, faculty, staff, and the broader community, and to be a leader in ecological restoration for the region.

“It is incredibly exciting to see the vision of a passionate group of students blossom into a campuswide effort with substantial impacts on student learning, campus life, community engagement and leadership, and institutional sustainability and resilience,” said Dominique Cagalanan, Ph.D., CCU’s director of arboriculture.

ArbNet is an interactive, collaborative, international community of arboreta, which 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. For more information, visit arbnet.org.