On August 1st, 2022, we received the excellent news that the Level IV accreditation was renewed for Arboretum Wespelaar! Since 2016, Arboretum Wespelaar has been awarded this Level IV Accreditation and thus belongs to the crème de la crème of arboreta around the world.

ArbNet is an interactive, collaborative, international community of arboreta. Through ArbNet, arboreta around the world collaborate to conserve trees and tree collections. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program is the only global initiative to officially recognize arboreta based on a set of professional standards. There are 4 levels of accreditations, within which Level 4 is the highest level.

We are now part of the list of 43 Level 4 arboreta wordwide. Of these 43 arboreta, amongst others, 26 are located in the United States and 5 in Europe, with Arboretum Wespelaar and the Ghent University Botanical Garden being the only two in Belgium.

The decision was based on Arboretum Wespelaar’s strong collections documentation, education for botanical professionals and global conservation impact through advising and influencing the Global Trees Campaign. One of our strong points is our impressive collection of detailed scans and identification keys made by Jan De Langhe, dendrologist at the Ghent University Botanical Garden, in collaboration with Arboretum Wespelaar. They are available for everyone on our website.

For a list of all worldwide accredited arboreta, click here.