Pittsburgh Arboretum Hub
Explore our City's Arboretums
The Pittsburgh Arboretum Hub is a place to learn more about arboretums and discover the arboretums of the Steel City.
Don’t see your favorite arboretum yet? Don’t worry – those pages are under construction behind-the-scenes. Check back soon!
Arboretums
Chatham University
Shadyside Campus is one of the most idyllic locations in the City of Pittsburgh.
The Frick Pittsburgh
Explore the nearly 60 varieties of trees in Point Breeze.
Homewood Cemetery
Almost 200 acres of trees and monuments in a carefully-maintained landscape.
Mellon Park
The City of Pittsburgh’s first registered arboretum, located in Shadyside.
Tree Pittsburgh
Tree Pittsburgh’s arboretum on the Allegheny River in Lawrenceville is a living educational campus.
Westinghouse Park
Thirty-eight species of trees grow in this beautiful park in Point Breeze North, Homewood and Point Breeze.
What is an Arboretum?
An arboretum is a living museum of trees and woody plants, grown and cared for by an organization committed to their stewardship.
To qualify, there has to be an arboretum plan, an organization or governance group that oversees the trees and botanical gardens and a minimum of 25 species, varieties or cultivars of trees or woody plants that are labeled for educational purposes. There also must be public access, a staff or volunteers who take care of the property and at least one public event or educational program each year, such as an Arbor Day observance.
ArbNet is an international community that supports and promotes arboreta and tree-focused professionals. It offers resources, tools, and funding opportunities to help arboreta achieve their goals, and to raise professional standards. ArbNet’s Arboretum Accreditation Program recognizes and advances the professionalism of arboreta. There are four levels of accreditation, based on factors like capacity, collections, outreach, and collaboration.
What Can an Arboretum Do For You?
Teach you about trees, of course!
Having access to a wide diversity of tree species at all different stages of maturity can help you learn to identify trees and other species. There are tree placards, signs, and numbers on many interesting specimens among the city’s arboretums to help you learn.
Keep Pittsburgh sustainable
Arboretums helps plant conservation and biological diversity by providing a protected and managed area where rare and unusual plants can thrive. Arboretums helps make Pittsburgh a more sustainable city by providing oxygen-producing green space, lessening the heat island effect that plagues many major cities. It also aids in storm-water management, smog reduction, and water filtration.
Connect you to your neighbors
Arboretums are one of the many vital green spaces in Pittsburgh, strengthening our civic pride and connection to the city that surrounds us.
Replenish your sense of peace
Just five minutes spent in a green space like an Arboretum has been proven to decrease stress. That kind of peaceful power is invaluable in a world that can seem increasingly chaotic, but there’s more good news: spending time in nature has been shown to alleviate symptoms of depression and strengthen communities, reducing loneliness and isolation.
Habitat for wildlife
Pittsburgh is home to an enormous amount of wildlife species ranging from birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and much more. Arboretums offer sanctuary from the busy urban environment for much of our urban wildlife. Arboretums offer the citizens an opportunity to observe, photograph and study wildlife.
And bonus…they’re just plain beautiful.
Support for the Pittsburgh Arboretum Hub is generously provided by the Garden Club of Allegheny County.