Memorial and Tribute Gifts
A Living Tribute
Cornell Botanic Gardens will designate and name one of the trees in the F. R. Newman Arboretum or our natural areas in accordance with your wishes. A special tag is placed on the tree with the commemorative language that you provide. We collect, plant, and nurture trees with a purpose. Our goal is to create as diverse a collection as possible, featuring a wide range of both native and cultivated varieties of trees and shrubs that are hardy in New York State. Special collections include oaks, maples, conifers, crabapples, and urban trees.
The minimum gift for a tribute tree is $5,000, for a 25-year tribute designation. If the tree is damaged, fails, or must be removed for any reason within 25 years, another tree will be designated in as close to the original location as possible. At the end of the original term, we will contact the donor or next-of-kin to discuss options for renewing the tribute.
A Permanent Place to Remember
Memorial or tribute benches are made of wood or stone, and are placed at strategic sites in the gardens around the Nevin Welcome Center, arboretum, or our natural areas selected by our landscape designer and horticulture staff. Donors provide the wording for a bronze commemorative plaque that is placed on the bench. At this time, we have several bench sites available for designation in the Mundy Wildflower Garden.
The minimum gift to designate a tribute bench is $25,000, for a 25-year tribute designation. A larger gift may be required for bench sites that require special landscape design and site preparation work. If the bench is damaged or must be removed for any reason within 25 years, it will be replaced in as close to the original location as possible. At the end of the original term, we will contact the donor or next-of-kin to discuss options for renewing the tribute.
Use of Tribute Gifts
A portion of each gift for a tribute tree or bench is used to pay the expenses associated with establishing the new designation (including an appropriate amount for staff time). After all project costs are met, the remaining balance of the gift is transferred to the Cornell Botanic Gardens Endowment Fund.
Tributes or memorials can be searched on this website using the Find a Plant or Memorial feature.
For more information about establishing a memorial or tribute, please contact Lori Hammond-Colwell or call 607-255-8734.