Smith College Botanical Gardens Director John Berryhill:
Reimagining the Role of Botanic Gardens: How a small local institution is engaging with global challenges.
For centuries, botanic gardens have been regarded as museums of living plants—places where visitors can immerse themselves in natural beauty while scientists rely on them as vital reference collections. Today, these institutions are redefining their role, positioning themselves at the forefront of global efforts to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. The Botanic Garden of Smith College, which often brings to mind bulb shows, big trees, or a tropical refuge on a snowy winter day, is deeply engaged in this transformation, working with national partners to create collaborative conservation systems that respond directly to the needs of threatened plant communities. At the same time, the garden is preparing students to become the next generation of leaders in botanical science, conservation, and public engagement.
Our speaker today is John Berryhill, who has served for 28 years at the Botanic Garden of Smith College and is now its director. Over the course of his tenure—spanning seven different roles—he has championed initiatives that blend scientific rigor with public connection. His efforts have placed increasing emphasis on experiential learning, community engagement, and making the botanical world more accessible to all. He has pioneered nationally adopted frameworks for tree risk management, helped develop collaborative conservation models that will shape tree collection practices in the 21st century, and forged partnerships with local Indigenous communities to advance restorative justice and deepen reciprocal relationships with the land. The work at Smith exemplifies the evolving mission of botanic gardens: not only to safeguard plant diversity but also to inspire, educate, and empower the communities they serve
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