Missouri State Arboretum

Since 1993, Northwest Missouri State University has been the official Missouri State Arboretum.

The Arboretum won the 2000 Communitree Award "for exemplary stewardship of community trees."

The University and the City of Maryville were rewarded with the 2001 Communitree Award for the bypass project east of Maryville at the intersection of Highways 71 and 136. The awards were presented to the Missouri Arboretum by the Missouri Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council and the Forestry Division of the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Northwest Missouri State University is located in Maryville, Mo., a Tree City USA since 1998.

An arboretum is a place where trees and other plants are grown for educational or scientific purposes. On the campus of Northwest Missouri State University, over 1,300 trees provide spring flowers, summer shade, fall colors and winter shelter. As of the spring of 2000, the arboretum contained 111 tree species, ninety-four of which are deciduous broadleafs, fourteen are evergreen needleleafs and three are deciduous needleleafs.

The variety of tree species on this campus is good for education on many different levels. Professors use the trees to teach biology and botany. Local residents thinking of planting saplings can come to campus and view mature specimens before making a decision.