Loyola’s commitment to sustainability highlighted by arboretum recertification

Loyola University Maryland’s level II arboretum accreditation has been recertified by ArbNet. The University has also been recognized by The Arbor Day Foundation as a Higher Education Tree Campus for the seventh year in a row. 

The Evergreen campus is an 81-acre arboretum featuring more than 2,200 trees that represent at least 124 varieties, including a 100-foot-tall European beech at the Fitness & Aquatic Center, which is listed as a state Champion Tree by TreeBaltimore. 

“We are always proud to celebrate sustainability at Loyola, and to receive recognition for our beautiful Evergreen campus,” said Helen T. Schneider, associate vice president for facilities and risk management. “Maintaining an accredited arboretum is one of the many ways in which we live out our Laudato Si’ commitment to care for our planet and our people.”

Contributions to the tree inventory, community-engaged learning courses, walking tours, and the establishment of an arboretum committee led to Loyola achieving its level II accreditation in 2019. 

The Arboretum Committee and University grounds staff maintain a comprehensive tree care plan and develop new ways for the community to interact with and learn from the trees of Loyola.

“Being a level II arboretum is significant, especially for a campus of our size,” said Danny Esposito, sustainability coordinator and chair of the Arboretum Committee. “Our committee—which includes faculty, staff, administrators, and students—manages a lot of the certification work that makes this possible. There’s also space for experiential learning, where students can get outside of the classroom and work with the living environment on our campus to learn new skills.”

Maren Blohm, Ph.D., professor of biology, has incorporated the arboretum into her plant research methods course. Students use a dichotomous key to hone their ability to identify different tree species on campus and calculate the ecological and economic importance of the different species using trunk diameter measurements. Plant biology students have also planted native plants in the Peace Meadow adjacent to Loyola Notre Dame Library.

Of the arboretum’s 124 unique species, there are roughly 60 which are native to Maryland and—just as importantly—zero invasive species, both of which benefit the local wildlife and community, explained Esposito.

“It would be easy to have a large number of unique but non-native species, but that doesn’t do a lot for the lived environment of the birds and insects, which is particularly important in an urban setting,” said Esposito. “Being an arboretum in an urban area also has an environmental justice aspect. Not only is it providing a green space close to the York Road Corridor, but the trees also do a lot for air quality and work to combat urban heat islands.”

The arboretum was officially accredited in 2013, recognizing the University's dedication to preserving dozens of tree species on the Evergreen campus. By achieving high standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens, the Loyola University Maryland Arboretum is now recognized among other professional public gardens all over the world.

The Morton Register of Arboreta is a comprehensive list and database of arboreta and other public gardens that have a substantial focus on woody plants. The purpose of the Morton Register is to identify all of the organizations that collect and display trees, shrubs, and other woody plants for the benefit of the public, science, and conservation. The Morton Register, ArbNet, and the Accreditation Program are coordinated by the Morton Arboretum as an international initiative to support the work of arboreta in saving and planting trees.

Learn more about the Loyola Arboretum.