Smithsonian Gardens is an accredited museum that cares for 180 acres of gardens and exhibits, including nearly 2,000 urban trees surrounding the museums and bordering the National Mall. The iconic trees are accessioned as part of Smithsonian’s collections, extending the museum experience into the streetscapes beyond.

A previous soil management plan by Wolf Josey documented how high-use has led to the planters around the Smithsonian Institute’s National Mall exhibiting high compaction and stressed vegetation. Wolf Josey developed a signature tree fence design for Smithsonian Gardens to protect planter beds and allow for future groundcover plantings. The tree fence’s design draws from both the vase-like form of the National Mall’s signature elm trees and the Smithsonian Castle’s vaulted ceiling structure. The pilot tree fence project was installed at the National Museum of Natural History in 2023. The tree fence design has been approved as part of the Monumental Core Streetscape Standards, and will be installed at other Smithsonian museums around the Mall.