UCF Arboretum

Volunteers

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The Arboretum offers a variety of volunteer opportunities. Volunteers can help in the community garden, assist with horticultural work in campus landscapes, or help in campus natural lands. Come out and get your feet wet, your hands dirty, and your knowledge expanded, as you learn more about gardening, landscaping, or natural lands management!

 

Though the Arboretum is not currently accepting volunteers, our summer volunteering starts Monday May 13th at 8am and will run through August 2nd. Our summer schedule will be as follows:

Monday 8am Landscaping

Tuesday 8am Landscaping

Wednesday 8am Landscaping, Community Garden, Natural Areas

Thursday 8am Landscaping, Community Garden

Friday 8am Landscaping, Community Garden, Urban Forestry

 

Volunteers can simply show up to our office punctually at the beginning of any of our volunteer shifts. Our website always has the most up-to-date volunteer schedule. Please bring a reusable water bottle, wear closed-toe shoes and a smile.

COMMUNITY GARDEN/NURSERY ACTIVITIES

Creating Vegetable Beds: Loading compost in the wheelbarrow and moving it to the garden area to unload and then spreading it out with a rake.

Planting Seeds/Plants: Planting seeds in the garden beds. Seeds may be planted in small starter pots, and then planted in the garden when sprouted.

Tree Planting: Fruit trees and fruiting vines may be planted in permanent garden areas. Compost is first placed in the bottom of the hole and then plants are planted. Labeling and heavy watering should follow each planting.

Mulching Pathways: Laying cardboard out in the pathways first (remove any plastic tape), and then spreading mulch over the cardboard.

Mulching Garden Beds: Laying leaf/hay mulch on the growing beds.

Weeding: Pulling weeds (undesired plants) from the garden beds, pathways and perimeter of the garden. Ask the UCF staff member which plants are weeds.

Fertilizing: Spreading collected coffee grounds (removing the filters), mushroom compost, or other compost in the growing beds to provide vital nutrients to plants.

Insect Pest Control: Scouting the garden for pests and using an approved method for control (integrated pest management).

Harvest: Vegetables and herbs are harvested when ready at intervals during their growth.

CAMPUS LANDSCAPES

Pruning: Individual removal of plant stems and leaves to create a desirable shape.

Propagating: Making cuttings, planting seeds or dividing plants.

Fertilizing: Applying fertilizer as directed on the label of the particular fertilizer.

Weeding: Identifying undesirable plants by pulling to insure the roots are removed.

Planting: Planting material as necessary to create the desired landscape. Incorporating compost material in the soil to give the plants a ideal medium for growing.

CAMPUS NATURAL AREAS ACTIVITIES

Vegetation Monitoring: Assist the Land Management team in collecting data and documenting vegetation changes in the UCF Natural Lands.

Pond and Trail Clean-ups: Students will collect trash and recycling from campus.

Invasive Species Removal: Students will be hand pulling invasive vines, and possibly using a machete to “hack” into invasive trees while LNR Land Management staff chemically treats the invasive plants.

Planting Projects: Students will physically plant small trees and shrubs in various locations around campus.

URBAN FORESTRY ACTIVITIES

Tree education: species, tree health and diseases, native vs. exotic tree species

Tree pruning techniques

Tree planting: Native trees may be planted in permanent areas around the campus. Compost is first placed in the bottom of the hole and then plants are planted. Labeling and heavy watering should follow each planting.

Managing exotic plant species that displace native species

 Volunteer Incentives!

The UCF Arboretum offers an array of great incentives to reward the hard work of all our dedicated volunteers. Just alert a staff member if you have enough hours to redeem the incentive and we will be happy to help you! See the flyer below for a full list of incentives:

The Arboretum is also a happy participant of the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Ask an Arboretum staff member for more information. Completed your hours? Contact Volunteer UCF at:

2010 University of Central Florida, Office of Student Involvement
P.O. Box 163245, Orlando, FL 32816-3245
Phone: 407.823.3318 | Fax: 407.823.5899

 

Group Volunteer Application

  • Individual volunteering is available Monday through Friday with no appointment necessary (see schedule).

    The Arboretum offers group volunteering, which supports groups of five (5) or more working together to support greening our campus. Volunteer activities can include working with our team to install or maintain landscapes, supporting tree care by working with our Arborists, learning to garden with our Community Garden group, or participating in natural lands management with the Natural Resources team. Your support in these programs is essential to the Arboretum, so please contact us to learn more.

    These guidelines will help us support your needs:
    •Shifts are a minimum of 2 hours
    •Groups must be at least 5 or more
    •Group volunteering is generally only available M-F, starting at 8am and ending at 3pm.
    •Please consult with your group members BEFORE you submit the request
    •A group volunteer application must be submitted (see below) AT LEAST 7-10 days in advance. The earlier you put in your request, the better your chances are for approval.
    •If there is no variation in the number of people or desired start time, but you would like to request multiple dates to volunteer, you only need to submit one form (i.e. put multiple dates on the “request date” line of the form).
    •Groups requesting multiple volunteer dates, but proceed to cancel will be subjected to losing all approved dates, so be sure you have communicated with your group.
    •Once we have received your application please allow at least one week for the approval or decline of your request; the application is only approved once you have received an email confirmation.
    •Upon approval, the person submitting the form will need to meet with an Arboretum staff member to pick up waivers and confirm involvement.
    •All participants must wear closed toe shoes and bring a reusable water bottle the day of the event.

    Official Community Service forms signed by our staff are available to those that have completed at least 2 hours. Thank you for respecting our staff by following these guidelines. We look forward to having your group volunteer!

  • Please enter a value between 1 and 99.
  • (Minimum 2 hours)

  • Volunteer Coordinator Information

  • Get Involved!

  • Though we are actively working on accommodating all participants, please note that we are not currently wheelchair accessible.