By David Markham
Antioch Park recently became the first park in JCPRD, and only the fourth in Kansas, to be accredited as an arboretum through ArbNet’s Arboretum Accreditation Program.
“JCPRD manages over 4,000 acres of forest land throughout Johnson County and that doesn’t account for trees in the more urban environment,” said Assistant Superintendent of Parks & Golf Courses Devin Wetzel. “We think this designation provides a way for people to learn more about trees while spending time at Antioch Park and something both children and adults can enjoy. By receiving this designation at Antioch Park and any others in the future, it shows that JCPRD is committed to preserving our urban trees and providing educational opportunities in a fun way to anyone that enjoys spending time on our trails.”
JCPRD Urban Forestry Supervisor Daniel Ohmes, a 15-year veteran of JCPRD, researched the accreditation process when he applied for the forestry supervisor in mid-2024. Once in his new role, he made it a goal to get some of the district’s parks accredited.
“Accreditation is based on self-assessment and documentation of an arboretum’s level of achievement of accreditation standards, including planning, governance, number of species, staff or volunteer support, education and public programming, and tree science research and conservation,” he explained. “ArbNet created its Arboretum Accreditation Program to establish and share a widely recognized set of industry standards for the purpose of unifying the arboretum community.”
The accreditation designation applies to the entire park, and is valid for five years, after which it can be renewed every five years.
Going through the application process took some time, Ohmes said.
“Antioch Park has been filled with a diverse range of tree species,” he noted. “The trees had to be inventoried and put into our management system. Tree tags had to be created, ordered, and then installed on the designated trees. The application itself required information about the park, programs we offer at Antioch Park, the support staff, and education programs we look to put on going forward, such as an Arbor Day event.”
“We are fortunate that tree planting has been a maintenance priority at Antioch for many years,” Wetzel added. “It’s a very busy park with over 750,000 visitors last year and having trees identified and labeled along the trails seemed like a great fit.”
Ohmes has already begun work towards getting Meadowbrook Park accredited, including inventorying trees, ordering tree tags, and hopes the park can be designated as JCPRD’s second arboretum in time for spring blooms.
Other sites discussed for future accreditation are: the Sertoma Trail located south of the Theatre in the Park, and all of Shawnee Mission Park.
Antioch Park is located at 6501 Antioch in Merriam; Meadowbrook Park is located at 9101 Nall Ave., Prairie Village; and Shawnee Mission Park is located at 7900 Renner Road, Shawnee and Lenexa.
ArbNet is an interactive, collaborative, international community of arboreta and tree-focused professionals. The organization facilitates the sharing of knowledge, experience, and other resources to help arboreta meet their institutional goals and works to raise professional standards through the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program.
The other four currently accredited arboretums in Kansas are: the Douglas County Fairgrounds Arboretum; the Kansas Forest Service Demonstration Arboretum and Honor Grove in Manhattan, Kan.; Lawrence Rotary Arboretum; and South Park in Lawrence.
