Arboretum Management

Resources related to establishing and running an arboretum. To contribute a resource to the Arboretum Management database, please contact the ArbNet Coordinator at arbnet@mortonarb.org. 

What is an Arboretum?

• What is an arboretum? (interactive virtual piece by The Morton Arboretum)
• What is an arboretum? (Arborist News article by Paist & Luley 2019)
• Modern arboreta: What is the 21st century arboretum? (ArbNet presentation, Brennan 2024)
• ArbNet: 10 years of fostering collaborations, furthering professionalism, and advancing the planting and conservation of trees through the global network of arboreta (Turner-Skoff et al., 2021)

Mission

• Mission statement overview
• Mission statement examples
• Questions to ask in developing the key purpose and focus of the garden

Establishing & Managing an Arboretum         

• Capacity for Conservation (organizational self-assessment)
• Tree Conservation Plan (Madison Square Park Tree Conservancy)
• Sustainable campus landscape guide
• BGCI Technical Review - Defining the botanic garden, and how to measure performance and success
• BGCI Technical Review - Economic, social and environmental impacts of botanic gardens
• Urban Cemeteries as Public Gardens - American Public Gardens Association Conf. 2017

1.  Rural Cemetery Movement Led to Public Gardens and Parks - presented by Dave Barnett, Mount Auburn Cemetery
2.  Interpretation and Mapping - presented by Joe Charap, Green-Wood
3.  Sustainability & Conservation - presented by Pete Hoskins, Mount Laurel Cemetery

• Cemeteries as Arboreta, Workshop – ArbNet Conference (2021)
• Change Ahead How Two Gardens Revamped Their Membership Programs - American Public Gardens Association Conf. 2017
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 101 - American Public Gardens Association Conf. 2017
• Modern Public Parks Advances the Public's Botancal Enrichment - American Public Gardens Association Conf. 2017
• Excellent to the Core A Workshop for Developing Core Documents To Guide Your Organization to Greatness - American Public Gardens Association Conf. 2017
• "Institute of Museum and Library Services Grant Opportunities"- American Public Gardens Association Conference 2018
• Education and Events Visitation Report (Moore Farms Botanical Garden)
• Guide and Toolkit for New and Emerging Public Gardens (Longwood Fellows)
• The role of botanical gardens in scientific research, conservation, and citizen science

BGCI's Manual on Planning, Developing and Managing Botanic Gardens

• Chapter 1 - Planning and Implementing Botanic Garden Design Projects
• Chapter 2 - Governance Models, Human and Financial Resources Development
• Chapter 3 - No Plant Collection without a Strategy or Policy
• Chapter 4 -The Plant Collection in the International Policy Context
• Chapter 5 - Collection Record Management Systems
• Chapter 6 - Horticulture Mananagement
• Chapter 7 - Using the Plant Collection - Research, Conservation, Education, Public Engagement, Recreation, and Tourism
• Chapter 8 - Managing Environmental Sustainablity

Strategic Plan

• Sample arboretum plan (ArbNet)
• Strategic Plan (Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Arboretum)
• Stategic Plan (Boone County)
• Strategic Plan (United States Capitol Grounds)
• Stategic Plan (Mount Pleasant Cemetery)
• Bylaws (Springfield Botanical Gardens)
• Bylaws (Madison Square Park Conservancy)
• Interpretive Plan (Alive at Green-Wood)
• "The Power of Planning: Developing Landscape Management Plans for Public Gardens" (American Public Gardens Association Conf. 2018)
• "Building Your Base for a Capital Campaign" (American Public Gardens Association Conf. 2018)

Disaster Management & Planning

• BGCI Technical Review: The susceptibility of botanic gardens, and their responses, to natural and man-made disasters (Botanic Gardens Conservation International 2021)
• APGA Disaster Readiness Initiative & Resources (American Public Gardens Association)
• APGA Disaster Preparedness & Risk Management Resources - targeted towards preparing for disease/pest outbreak (American Public Gardens Association)

Marketing

• Exhibition marketing plan summary
• "Leading Audiences to Take Action! A New Approach from the Field of Conservation Psychology" (American Public Gardens Association Conf. 2017)
• "Goodness, Gracious, Great Graphic Design: How Visual Communications Benefit Your Garden" (American Public Gardens Association Conf. 2018)
• "Membership, Giving, and Loyalty: The Power of Data and Engagement" (American Public Gardens Association Conf. 2018)
• "Visitor Motivations: How They Can Help Plan Experiences & Measure Success" (American Public Gardens Association Conf. 2018)
• "How to Utilize Your Plant Collections for Powerful Marketing and Engagement" (American Public Gardens Association Conf. 2018)
• "How to Create a Great Museum Brand Identity?" (Richardson, 2019)
• "Best Strategies for Markeing Non-profit Cultural Institutions" (Cultural Owl, 2023)

Staff & Volunteers

• Case study - Staffing and personnel management
• Volunteer Manual (Holden Forests & Gardens)
• Volunteer Manual (Longwood Gardens)   
• Your Staff and Job Training Programs Building a Cohesive Team (American Public Gardens Association Conf. 2017)
• The Keys to Interviewing, Hiring, Managing, and Maintaining a Superior Visitor Services Team (American Public Gardens Association Conf. 2017)
• "Finding Balance Across Departments at Multi-Attraction Gardens" (American Public Gardens Association Conf. 2018)

1. Lincoln Park Zoo
2. Smith College
3. Smithsonian Gardens
4. Fioli

• "Building Leadership Capacity: Helping Staff Succeed with Volunteers" (American Public Gardens Association Conf. 2018)

Diversity & Inclusion

• Tree Equity Score (American Forests)
• Employee Development Diversity and Inclusion Attribute (American Public Gardens Association)
• Diversity & Inclusion Annual Report 2017 (The Morton Arboretum)
• Anti-racism in the Outdoors Resource Guide 
• Building Diversity & Inclusion video(The Desert Botanical Garden)
• Decolonizing Botanical Collections (article) 
• Growing Black Roots: The Black Botanical Legacy (Holden Arboretum)
• Growing a Community: The Inaugural #Blackbotanistsweek - Recap and Looking Forward (paper)

Management Resources In Chinese

• Living Collections policy sample - 活体植物引种政策
• Living Collections policy sample - 活體植物引種政策
• Collections policy overview - 植物引种政策总览
• Collections policy overview - 植物引種政策總覽
• Case Study: Staffing at a Large, Developed Garden -  (pdf) 案例分析：大型发达园林的人员组成——莫顿树木园
• Case Study Staffing at a Large, Developed Garden - (pdf) 案例分析:大型發達園林的人員組成——莫頓樹木園