The University of Pennsylvania campus in West Philadelphia is now officially recognized as an Level II arboretum by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program. First recognized as a Level I arboretum in April 2017, Penn’s campus is an urban forest with more than 6,500 trees in its collection, over 240 species of trees and shrubs, ten specialty gardens, and five urban parks. Penn’s urban campus has achieved particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens, and to achieve Level II status, Penn's campus met the heightened criteria of developing a minimum of 100 species, varieties, or cultivars of trees or woody plants, as well as enhanced educational and public programming related to tree ecology and conservation.

Penn has dedicated resources and coordinated the care of a comprehensive tree management program over the course of many years, resulting in an annual Tree Campus USA designation since 2009. Penn Plant Explorer, an interactive website linked to Penn's comprehensive tree inventory, allows users to map and interpret Penn's entire collection of trees.

Read more about Penn's 2017 Level I Arboretum Accreditation here.