Here on the FSN Blog, our Plant Expert answers hundreds of your plant care and identification questions. However, when we’re stumped, we often turn to the Memphis Botanic Garden for their advice. This week, they received BIG news and we thought we’d share in the excitement!

The Memphis Botanic Garden just received a huge endorsement for their tree program by being designated the first Center of Excellence for Urban Forestry in Tennessee.

As a Center of Excellence, they will sponsor educational programs, help with arboretum certification, actively promote tree health and growth, and be the arm of the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council in West Tennessee. There will be three COE’s total for the state, theirs will be the only one in West Tennessee.

In a blog from last June, we wrote about the Garden’s already-extensive tree program:

Memphis Botanic Garden offers visitors 96 acres of small gardens and trails, thousands of flowers, but also thousands of unique trees. With 152 different species of trees, the Memphis Botanic Garden is classified as a Level IV Arboretum by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council. This Level IV designation makes the Garden one of four in the state and the only one in West Tennessee. “We estimate there are at least 2000 trees in the Garden – with lots of duplicates,” says Adult Education Manager Laurie Williams. Read more about the trees at the Garden.

Patrick Haller, TUFC President, commented that “This is a definite step forward for urban forestry in Tennessee and we are excited about this program.”

Congratulations again for a well-deserved honor. If you’re in the West Tennessee area, be sure to pay them a visit!