In April, 2017, Arnold Arboretum Director William (Ned) Friedman will be the guest speaker at a joint meeting of The Garden Club of the Back Bay and The Beacon Hill Garden Club. We are pleased to highlight The Campaign for the Living Collections, described below, and encourage our readership to support this endeavor.

The renowned collections of living trees, shrubs, and vines are fundamental to the Arnold Arboretum as a botanical and horticultural institution and as partner in the educational mission of Harvard University. Numbering some 15,000 accessioned trees, shrubs, and vines, the living collections support critical research, document natural history, sustain efforts for plant conservation, and provide the public with an invaluable resource for education and the appreciation of biodiversity. As the Arboretum approaches its sesquicentennial, The Campaign for the Living Collections reaffirms and reinvigorates the Arboretum’s commitment to collecting, preserving, and studying biodiversity in the face of habitat destruction and climate change.

In fall 2015, the Arboretum officially launched this 10-year initiative with collecting expeditions in China and northern Idaho. The Campaign seeks to acquire approximately 400 species of plants from their native populations, representing new plants previously uncollected by the Arboretum, plants attempted unsuccessfully in the past, and plants not currently represented by wild-collected specimens. To advance these aspirations, the Arboretum seeks $5 million in funding for current and future plant collecting expeditions, enhanced propagation activities, and the planting and stewardship of new species in our landscape.

The Campaign for the Living Collections will ensure that the Arnold Arboretum will continue to be a critical resource for understanding plants and their environments for centuries to come. Help strengthen and preserve this vital legacy.