The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art has been awarded a Level 2 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 ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program is the only global initiative to officially recognize arboreta at various levels of development, capacity and professionalism. The Ringling is also 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.

To be accredited as a Level 2 Arboretum, an arboretum is required to have a minimum of 100 species, varieties or cultivars of trees or woody plants. Additionally, an arboretum collections policy must be in force that describes the development and professional management of the plants in the arboretum collection, in accordance with standards developed in the public garden and museum fields with consideration given to the Saint Louis Declaration regarding invasive species. An enhanced level of educational and public programming, to include programs that must be related to trees such as tree identification, ecology, conservation, collections or some other tree-focused aspect of the arboretum mission or master plan is also required.

There are over 2,300 trees within the arboretum representing native, exotic, historical and culturally significant trees.

John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art