Cemetery becomes Florida’s first to earn arboretum accreditation
Updated: 11:45 AM EDT Apr 24, 2026
With a mission to create an atmosphere of hope for peace and comfort – rather than somber – a Central Florida city turned its cemetery into an accredited arboretum. It’s the first in the state, and City of Tavares worked with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences to make it happen. “Arborists also helped the city plant new trees, and now the main entrance of the cemetery is lined with young live oaks, ready to grow and shade generations of visitors as they come to the cemetery, seeking to grieve and remember their loved ones,” a news release from UF says. The cemetery, renamed the Tavares Cemetery and Arboretum, has tree species including Sabal palm, sycamore, olive, Florida flame maple, desert cassia, magnolia, St. Luke’s plum, loquat and blueberry bushes. To become accredited, one requirement is a labeled collection of at least 25 species or taxa of trees and woody plants. “UF/IFAS Extension Lake County and city of Tavares arborists evaluated the current trees at the cemetery and helped the city make a management plan for each species of tree, and they also made labels with QR codes that link to resources that describe the tree,” the news release says.” The cemetery has about 30 labeled species of trees and shrubs and is working toward reaching 100 in the next few years, said Traci Anderson, Tavares parks operations manager. The process of becoming an arboretum took Tavares about six years, UF said.
TAVARES, Fla. —
With a mission to create an atmosphere of hope for peace and comfort – rather than somber – a Central Florida city turned its cemetery into an accredited arboretum.
It’s the first in the state, and City of Tavares worked with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences to make it happen.
“Arborists also helped the city plant new trees, and now the main entrance of the cemetery is lined with young live oaks, ready to grow and shade generations of visitors as they come to the cemetery, seeking to grieve and remember their loved ones,” a news release from UF says.
The cemetery, renamed the Tavares Cemetery and Arboretum, has tree species including Sabal palm, sycamore, olive, Florida flame maple, desert cassia, magnolia, St. Luke’s plum, loquat and blueberry bushes.
To become accredited, one requirement is a labeled collection of at least 25 species or taxa of trees and woody plants.
“UF/IFAS Extension Lake County and city of Tavares arborists evaluated the current trees at the cemetery and helped the city make a management plan for each species of tree, and they also made labels with QR codes that link to resources that describe the tree,” the news release says.”
The cemetery has about 30 labeled species of trees and shrubs and is working toward reaching 100 in the next few years, said Traci Anderson, Tavares parks operations manager.
The process of becoming an arboretum took Tavares about six years, UF said.