Luther Crest to dedicate accreditation of arboretum

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (Thursday June 11, 2015)

Scot Medbury, president of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York City, will be the featured speaker at the opening of an arboretum on the campus of Luther Crest, 800 Hausman Rd., at 2:30 p.m. June 18.

The Luther Crest senior living community was recently accredited as a Level 1 arboretum by the ArbNet Accreditation Program, a program sponsored by the Morton Arboretum, Botanic Gardens International and the American Public Gardens Association. Luther Crest joins 14 other accredited arboreta in the State of Pennsylvania.

Accreditation is designed to foster establishment and professionalism of arboreta, identify arboreta applicable for scientific or conservation activities; and advance the planting, study and conservation of trees.

According to Marion Kayhart, a Luther Crest resident and member of the senior living community’s environment committee, “our trees consist in part of old mature trees remaining from the time the area was undeveloped and newer, younger ones planted during the 32 years the retirement community has occupied the property. The trees in our collection are primarily native to Pennsylvania and the Middle States region which do well in our particular setting.”

The Luther Crest area includes deciduous trees, evergreens and some selected ornamental trees.
Luther Crest is inviting area schools, garden clubs and the public to tour the area. The initial arboretum collection consists of 42 labeled trees organized into three walks, each 20 to 30 minutes long. Guide books with identification and brief descriptions of the trees are available for each of the walks at Luther Crest’s reception area.

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For further information, please contact:
William Swanger, M.A., APR
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications
Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries
(717) 795-0308
E-mail: swangerb@diakon.org