Preserving History.
Cultivating Beauty.
Growing for the Future.
Frederick Douglass Memorial Park is proud to be a Level I Accredited Arboretum through the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum.
Located within our historic cemetery landscape on Staten Island, the Frederick Douglass Memorial Park Arboretum represents a growing commitment to the stewardship, preservation, and celebration of the trees and natural environment that surround the people and stories entrusted to our care.
Our arboretum mission is simple: to provide a place of recreation, education, and beauty.
A Living Landscape of History
Founded in 1935, Frederick Douglass Memorial Park was established as a place where African Americans could be laid to rest with dignity and where their lives and legacies could be remembered.
Today, the Park's historic landscape tells another important part of that story.
Our trees, open spaces, pathways, monuments, and natural surroundings form a living landscape that connects generations. Caring for this landscape is an essential part of preserving the Park—not only as a cemetery, but as a place of African American history, memory, nature, and community.
The Arboretum builds upon that tradition of stewardship.
Our Commitment to Trees
As an accredited arboretum, Frederick Douglass Memorial Park is developing a long-term program focused on the care, documentation, conservation, and expansion of its tree collection.
Our work includes:
Caring for our existing trees and protecting the Park's historic tree canopy.
Planting new trees and woody plants that contribute to the beauty, health, and sustainability of the landscape.
Documenting our tree collection to better understand and care for the living resources within the Park.
Promoting native trees and plants and supporting biodiversity where appropriate.
Educating visitors and the community about trees, conservation, and environmental stewardship.
Creating opportunities for recreation, reflection, and connection with nature.
Connecting environmental stewardship with historic preservation, recognizing the landscape itself as part of the Park's heritage.
Why an Arboretum?
An arboretum is more than a collection of trees. It is a place where trees become part of a larger story of education, conservation, research, beauty, and community.
Our historic cemetery landscape provides an opportunity to explore the relationship between people, place, memory, and nature. The trees that grow here will continue to provide shade, beauty, habitat, and a sense of place for generations to come.
Growing the Collection
The Park's Level I accreditation marks the beginning of an ongoing arboretum program.
As we grow, we will continue to identify and document trees throughout the Park, develop plans for future plantings, and seek opportunities to expand educational and conservation programming.
We invite our community to grow with us.
Whether you are visiting a loved one, exploring African American history, participating in a community event, or simply taking time to appreciate the natural landscape, we hope the Arboretum offers another way to experience Frederick Douglass Memorial Park.
About Arbnet
Frederick Douglass Memorial Park is a Level I Accredited Arboretum through the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program.
ArbNet is an international community of arboreta that facilitates the sharing of knowledge, experience, and resources among institutions dedicated to trees and woody plants. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program, sponsored and coordinated by The Morton Arboretum in cooperation with the American Public Gardens Association and Botanic Gardens Conservation International, is the only global initiative to officially recognize arboreta based on a set of professional standards.
Learn more about ArbNet: [arbnet.org]