The Morton Arboretum The Morton Arboretum is a vital resource to the Chicago region – and the world. While known as a place of beauty delighting nearly 900,000 annual visitors, the Arboretum is also a place of science and global conservation, a place to learn and ensure the future of urban and wild forests. Guided by the passion of its founder, Joy Morton to “Plant trees,” the Arboretum’s impact is significant and has been transformative to the area as well as to tree science.