LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville’s Cave Hill Cemetery is about to achieve a status very few cemeteries of its kind have ever accomplished.
The cemetery is currently listed as a level two arboretum accreditation but is in the process of becoming a level three. Once achieved, it would be one of only five cemeteries in the world to have that status.
“The thing about achieving a level three status within the cemetery setting that we are is how difficult it is just to grow trees, let alone let them mature over time,” said Horticulture Manager Sarah Schaffner.
Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image) Sept. 29, 2020
The hilly terrain of the cemetery can typically make it difficult for so may trees to grow, but some on the property are more than 150 years old.
To get to level three, she says property needs to have at least 500 different tree species — Cave Hill has near 600.
Once achieved the cemetery will start to offer even more educational programs but before that, more work needs to be done.
It is estimated there are currently 7,000 trees in the cemetery and arborists are currently in the process of tagging each one that will eventually be part of a GPS and online cataloging system.
“We are doing a qualified risk assessment of every tree, denoting the GPS pinpoint of the tree, taking a general view of the condition,” said Cave Hill Foundation Manager Michael Higgs.
Since March, the attendance to the cemetery has jumped, securing it as one of Louisville’s most visited locations — a number that’s expected to only get higher during fall.
Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image) Sept. 29, 2020
“Especially with the world today, with COVID this past spring we reached probably record numbers in visitation which I thought was amazing,” said Schaffner. ”It’s just a matter of diversification. Diversifying our tree canopy. That is not only going to be good for Cave Hill that is going to be good for Louisville as a whole.”
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