Mt. St. Mary Park in St. Charles attains arboretum status

Mt. St. Mary Park in St. Charles is officially an arboretum, according to recent accreditation from The Morton Arboretum.

The park was awarded Level II status by ArbNet, a global tree-centered network sponsored by The Morton Arboretum in Lisle.

Mt. St. Mary Park is at the second of four levels of arboretum status. To achieve Level II, in addition to having a collection policy and comprehensive plan in place, the arboretum must have a minimum of 100 different species, varieties or cultivars of trees or woody plants.

St. Charles Park District arborist supervisor David Svitak led the process for Mount Saint Mary Park’s accreditation.

“Mt. St. Mary Park is a keystone property to the district and is the top visited park with its large hardscaped pathways, riverfront view, and sculptures,” Svitak said in a news release. “For the past 10 years, we have been adding new species to the park every planting season, and I have been guiding park tree tours during the bloom and fall colors seasons for many years.”

The park has recently welcomed a variety of native oak and hickory species, and has been home to others for over 100 years. The adjacent Fox River also helps many water-loving species to thrive, including bald cypress, river birch and swamp oak.

The 30-acre park has more than a mile of trails and is the only accredited arboretum in the Tri-Cities.