North Central College receives arboretum accreditation through ArbNet and the Morton Register

Continuing its efforts to build and support the campus ecosystem, North Central received level 1 arboretum accreditation status through ArbNet, an interactive, collaborative and international community of arboreta sponsored and coordinated by the Morton Arboretum.

ArbNet is the only global initiative to officially recognize arboreta based on a set of professional standards. North Central met those standards, which require a number of unique species of trees on campus, having an arboretum plan and a staff to support it.

“Our students have done an incredible job tracking trees in the campus tree inventory, and our grounds crew works tirelessly to maintain and grow our number of trees on campus,” said Brittany Drummond, North Central’s director of sustainability.

The accreditation process was spearheaded by Anna Halverson ’20, an environmental studies major, president of the sustainability student organization Green Scene, and the sustainability liaison in the Student Government Association.

“Many people don’t know the extent of North Central’s dedication to its campus ecosystem, so receiving this accreditation is one way to showcase the campus collection and commitment to a sustainable environment,” said Halverson.

In 2018, Halverson picked 15 new trees that were planted on campus, one of which she helped plant with her ecology classmates on Arbor Day, when they learned about proper planting and tree care techniques. The campus arboretum is fulfilling its function as a living laboratory, and students in the Introduction to Environmental Studies class use the tree inventory to calculate the total amount of carbon stored in the trees on campus.