One, Five and Ten Year Tree Adoption Terms
By adopting a tree at Green-Wood, the adopter(s) agree(s) to the following terms:
Tree Selection
Adopters are advised that availability of trees is determined by Green-Wood staff, in accordance with Green-Wood’s Living Collection Policy (LCP). This policy defines the mission of the arboretum and governs the development and management of Green-Wood’s Living Collection of trees and shrubs. If you would like to read the LCP, please click this link.
Cost
The cost of a tree adoption is $250 for one year, $600 for five years, or $1,000 for ten years. These costs are per tree and are valid as of 1/1/2022. Rates are determined by The Green-Wood Historic Fund and are subject to change.
Tree adoption fees are considered donations to The Green-Wood Historic Fund, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The donation is fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. No refunds of adoption fees will be offered.
The fee must be paid in full in order for the adoption to be considered finalized. A plaque for the tree will not be ordered until the fee has been paid in full. The adoption period will be deemed to start when the plaque is installed at the tree.
If payment will be made by multiple people, the primary contact for the adoption must coordinate submission of payments to The Green-Wood Historic Fund in a timely manner.
Dedication Plaque
The text on the plaque will be determined in consultation with Green-Wood staff. Green-Wood reserves the right to deny approval of the proposed text. Guidance for the layout and an example of our standard text will be given to the tree adopter during the selection and payment process. When adoptions are renewed, the current plaque will remain in place unless a change is requested and agreed upon.
Plaques will only be replaced during the adoption period if they are destroyed or heavily damaged, as determined by Green-Wood staff. The replacement will conform to the standards set for tree plaques at the time the replacement is needed.
Care During Adoption Period
The tree’s vitality and vigor will be maintained with the use of best horticultural practices, as outlined by Green-Wood’s Collections Management Manual. Tree adopters are not permitted to prune, trim, or otherwise alter the adopted tree(s), nor are they permitted to hire outside contractors to conduct such work.
Adopters are advised that placing tributes, such as flowers, notes, or any other items, at, or affixing items of ornamentation to, the adopted tree is not permitted. Such items can and will be removed without notice. Removal is conducted at the sole discretion of Green-Wood’s Design and Landscape Department.
Tree Removal and Transfer of Adoption
If, within the adoption period, the tree dies, suffers substantial damage (as defined by Green-Wood), or needs to be removed in accordance with the LCP, the adopter will work with Green-Wood staff, ultimately deferring to Green-Wood, to select another existing tree to which the adoption will be transferred. A tree to which to transfer the adoption must be chosen from the options provided by Green-Wood within six months of the options being provided.
The adoption will be placed “on hold” at the time that the tree is removed. The remaining time left on the adoption will be transferred to a different tree, selected through the process outlined above. A new plaque, with the original dedication text and appropriate information for the newly selected tree, will be placed. An additional year will be added to the remaining adoption period transferred from the previous tree in recognition of the inconvenience caused.
Except in cases where an adopted tree has been removed as outlined above, adoptions are not transferable to different trees. After the adoption period ends, the donor may choose to adopt a different tree.
If the tree dies, is damaged, or needs to be removed after the adoption period has ended, no replacement will be provided.
Adoption Renewal
Adopters will be contacted twice to notify them that their adoption is up for renewal. They will be given a deadline by which they must renew the adoption, after which the dedication plaque will be removed, and the tree will be made available for others to adopt. It is strongly recommended that adopters provide an email address for greater efficiency of communication.
On occasion, a tree will be deemed by Green-Wood staff to be unavailable for re-adoption. In such cases, the adopter will be notified at the end of the adoption period, and may select a different tree to adopt if they so wish.
“Lifetime” Tree Adoption Terms
By adopting a tree at Green-Wood, the adopter(s) agree(s) to the following terms:
Tree Selection
Adopters are advised that availability of trees is determined by Green-Wood staff, in accordance with Green-Wood’s Living Collection Policy (LCP). This policy defines the mission of the arboretum and governs the development and management of Green-Wood’s living collection of trees and shrubs. If you would like to read the LCP, please click this link.
Cost
The cost of a “Lifetime Adoption” starts at $5,000 per tree. This cost is valid as of 1/1/2022. Certain trees may incur higher donation fees due to rarity or special characteristics. The prospective adopter will be advised if a tree or trees under consideration would incur a higher fee. Rates are determined by The Green-Wood Historic Fund and are subject to change.
Tree adoption fees are considered donations to The Green-Wood Historic Fund, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The donation is fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. No refunds of adoption fees will be offered.
The fee must be paid in full in order for the adoption to be considered finalized. A plaque for the tree will not be ordered until the fee has been paid in full. The adoption period will be deemed to start when the plaque is installed at the tree.
If payment will be made by multiple people, the primary contact for the adoption must coordinate submission of payments to The Green-Wood Historic Fund in a timely manner.
Replacement Coverage
The agreement extends to the life of the adopted tree and includes 50 years of replacement coverage.
If, within 50 years of the date of adoption, the tree dies, suffers substantial damage (as defined by Green-Wood), or needs to be removed in accordance with the LCP, the adopter will work with Green-Wood staff, ultimately deferring to Green-Wood, to select another existing tree to which the adoption will be transferred. A tree to which to transfer the adoption must be chosen from the options provided by Green-Wood within six months of the options being provided.
A new plaque, with the original dedication text and appropriate information for the newly selected tree, will be placed. The period of replacement coverage will not start over once a different tree is selected; rather, the 50-year period will remain from the date of the original adoption. If the tree dies, is damaged, or needs to be removed more than 50 years after the original adoption date, no replacement will be provided.
Except in cases where an adopted tree has been removed as outlined above, adoptions are not transferable to different trees.
Dedication Plaque
The text on the plaque will be determined in consultation with Green-Wood staff. Green-Wood reserves the right to deny approval of the proposed text. Guidance for the layout and an example of our standard text will be given to the tree adopter during the selection and payment process. When adoptions are renewed, the current plaque will remain in place unless a change is requested and agreed upon.
Plaques will only be replaced during the adoption period if they are destroyed or heavily damaged, as determined by Green-Wood staff. The replacement will conform to the standards set for tree plaques at the time the replacement is needed.
Care During Adoption Period
The tree’s vitality and vigor will be maintained with the use of best horticultural practices, as outlined by Green-Wood’s Collections Management Manual. Tree adopters are not permitted to prune, trim, or otherwise alter the adopted tree(s), nor are they permitted to hire outside contractors to conduct such work.
Adopters are advised that placing tributes, such as flowers, notes, or any other items, at, or affixing items of ornamentation to, the adopted tree is not permitted. Such items can and will be removed without notice. Removal is conducted at the sole discretion of Green-Wood’s Design and Landscape Department.
Bench Adoption Terms
By adopting a bench at Green-Wood, the adopter(s) agree(s) to the following terms:
Bench Selection
Benches are placed at the sole discretion of Green-Wood staff and will not be placed in specific locations by request. Benches are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Donors should inquire about the bench that they are interested in and be ready to pay the adoption fee within one (1) week of receiving confirmation that the bench is available. Benches cannot be placed “on hold.”
Cost
The cost to adopt a bench is determined by Green-Wood staff based on the location, type, and age of each bench. Prices can be found on the Green-Wood Bench Adoption Map.
Bench adoption fees are considered donations to The Green-Wood Historic Fund, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The donation is fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. No refunds of adoption fees will be offered.
The fee must be paid in full in order for the adoption to be considered finalized. A plaque for the bench will not be ordered until the fee has been paid in full.
If payment will be made by multiple people, the primary contact for the adoption must coordinate submission of payments to The Green-Wood Historic Fund in a timely manner, not to exceed one (1) month. The adoption will not be considered finalized until payment has been received in full. Refunds will not be provided in the case that some of the donors do not submit their payments, so we strongly recommend that the primary contact for the adoption solicit all funds and submit them to Green-Wood at one time.
Dedication Plaque
The text on the plaque will be determined in consultation with Green-Wood staff. Green-Wood reserves the right to deny approval of the proposed text. Guidance for the layout and an example of our standard text will be given to the bench adopter during the payment process. Plaques will take 6-8 weeks to be manufactured and installed. Plaques will only be replaced if they are destroyed or heavily damaged, as determined by Green-Wood staff.
Care for the Bench
Benches are adopted in perpetuity. Benches will be fixed or replaced as necessary, as determined by Green-Wood staff.
The bench will be maintained solely by Green-Wood staff or contractors hired by Green-Wood. Bench adopters are not permitted to sand, polish, or otherwise alter the bench, nor are they permitted to hire outside contractors to conduct such work.
Adopters are advised that placing tributes, such as flowers, notes, or any other items, at, or affixing items of ornamentation to, the adopted bench is not permitted. Such items can and will be removed without notice. Removal is conducted at the sole discretion of Green-Wood.
The bench may temporarily be moved when necessary for Green-Wood events, groundwork, or other reasons deemed necessary by Green-Wood staff. If the bench will be moved for more than two weeks, or will be moved out of sight of its permanent location, Green-Wood staff will let the adopter know using the contact information on file.
Green-Wood reserves the right to permanently move benches in the unlikely case that this is deemed necessary. In this case, Green-Wood staff will send written notice of the move to the contact information on file.