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Barking up the right tree
Illustration of pine tree

Campus canopy

Evergreen's 80 wooded acres are an accredited arboretum

Evergreen. Ever green. Anyone who has spent time on Loyola's campus will tell you that sitting on the grassy Quad in the shade of giant trees, it’s easy to forget you are just a few miles north of bustling downtown Baltimore.

A student enjoys a book under the shade of one of the quad's many trees.

But did you know the Evergreen campus is an accredited arboretum by the Morton Register of Arboreta?

Loyola was awarded Level I Accreditation as an arboretum through the ArbNet program in December 2013. In 2019, the University achieved Level II accreditation, thanks to expansion and enhanced preservation.

A Japanese Zelkova tree outside Jenkins Hall. A tree provides shade for the Alumni House and its gardens.

“The Loyola Arboretum directly engages hundreds of Loyola community members in the vast and critical beauty of biodiversity,” says Taylor Casalena, Loyola’s sustainability coordinator.

“The arboretum supports Loyola’s Climate Action Plan goal to reimagine the campus landscape to protect biodiversity and inspire environmental stewardship,” Casalena explains.

 

Thanks to the University’s dedication to nurturing and preserving dozens of tree species on campus, today the Loyola Arboretum is recognized internationally among other professional public gardens in the Morton Register of Arboreta. As such, the arboretum collects, grows, and displays trees, shrubs, and other plants for people to study and enjoy.

The 80-acre Evergreen campus boasts more than 2,200 trees that represent 114 varieties, including 33 native species.

A tulip poplar tree on campus. Two students do homework under the changing leaves outside their residence hall. An overcup oak tree on campus.

The plan for Loyola’s Arboretum began in 1999 with assessments of existing tree conditions, the development of a tree care program, and the labeling of trees. Today Loyola is one of only 11 arboreta in the state of Maryland on the Morton Register.

Students walk underneath a cherry blossom tree in full bloom. A tree begins to bloom in early spring.

“Our mission is to provide a beautiful and sustainable environment for Loyola students, faculty, staff, and visitors,” Helen Schneider, associate vice president of facilities and campus services, says.

“Maintaining the Loyola Arboretum is an opportunity to preserve the natural aesthetics of our historic campus and enhance its biodiversity."

The pathway from the Humanities building opens up to a quad lush with greenery.

Located in a residential neighborhood in North Baltimore, the Evergreen campus is open to the public for education and inspiration.

For more information about the Loyola Arboretum, including a complete list of tree varieties and programs, visit loyola.edu/sustainability and arbnet.org.