MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

ARBORETUM

In 2013, Bexley faced another challenge, however this time it was fighting for something good rather than trying to fix the bad. Bexley is a city of 13,000 people in 2.5 square miles yet there are still more maples, oaks, and pines than people. For that reason, a devoted resident Ginny Salamy pushed for all of Bexley to be an arboretum. Typically, arboretums are a plot of land dedicated to trees but Bexley fits the criteria for Level 2 accreditation established by the Morton Register of Arboreta, an Illinois based arboretum accreditation program. The Level 2 criteria consists of more than one hundred kinds of woody plants, an organizational plan for the arboretum, staff and volunteer support, public access, and educational programs.[1] On March 13, 2013, Bexley became the first city in the country that applied to be an arboretum and on March 20, 2013, Bexley became the first city in the country that has confirmed qualifications to be an arboretum.[2]

[1] “Life in the suburbs - Tree-loving Bexley asks to be declared an arboretum”, Columbus Dispatch, March 13, 2013, 10B

[2] “All of Bexley now arboretum”, Columbus Dispatch, March 21, 2013, 2B