University College Cork arboretum retains its global excellence status   

University College Cork’s (UCC) arboretum has had its prestigious international accreditation renewed for a further five years.

The university’s tree collection joins leading arboreta around the world in being accredited by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Programme, with UCC remaining the only Level 2 arboretum in Ireland.

ArbNet created the accreditation programme to establish and share a widely recognised set of standards for the purpose of unifying the arboretum community.

The accreditation is based on self-assessment and documentation of an arboretum’s level of achievement of accreditation standards, including planning, governance, number of species, staff or volunteer support, education and public programming, and tree-science research and conservation.

Planted at the foundation of the university in 1845, the trees at UCC chart a history of global exploration, scientific curiosity, and cultural exchange.

Wonderful

Speaking about the renewal, Eoin Lettice, of the UCC Arboretum, said it is “wonderful to see our tree collection being acknowledged on the global stage”.

“Since the foundation of the university, 180 years ago this year, the botanical collection has played an important teaching, research and outreach role across diverse disciplines at UCC,” Mr Lettice said.

“The collection remains a living laboratory for teaching and learning as well as contributing significantly to UCC’s status as one of the world’s most sustainable universities.

“The UCC tree collection contains over 2,500 trees of about 130 different species from all over the world.

“Not only do they contribute to the key aims of the university, as tools for teaching, research and public engagement, they are contributing to the ex situ conservation of some of the rarest plant species on the planet,” Mr Lettice said.

Innovation and research 

Barbara Doyle Prestwich, vice-head of school at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at UCC said the university is “delighted to celebrate the renewed accreditation by putting into some context the modern role of an arboretum in driving and facilitating innovation and research”.

“When we reflect on the important role of plants and trees in society and culture, it is clear that they have the capacity to solve some of the existential problems of our time such as climate change and food insecurity,” Dr Doyle Prestwich said.