President Trevor Colbourn established the Arboretum in 1983 to provide opportunities for students, staff, and visitors to explore campus natural lands and learn about plant life and other natural wonders.
Our Vision
A world in in which all communities can learn about, connect with, and benefit from integration with nature and our urban environment.
Our Mission
To create spaces dedicated to inter-relating disciplines that connect people to nature through the physical environment, social interactions, and innovative technologies. Additionally, we are committed to fostering a holistic and resiliant future for UCF, along with our local, state, and broader communities.
A Creative Learning Environment
We treat our campus as an outdoor living laboratory, which enables students to engage in relevant, experience-based learning. Students learn hands-on skills, such as plant propagation and identification, vegetable gardening, and horticultural techniques. We also provide opportunities for more advanced academic skills, such as setting up experiments, analyzing data, and working with geographic information and other data systems.
Natural Lands
The Arboretum works closely with the Natural Resources team to support the management and facilitate the use of more than 800 acres of our campus natural lands. These lands contribute to UCF’s academic and recreational programs. Every year, thousands of students and other community members take a break to explore our nature trails and relax while being surrounded by natural splendor. Equally important, our campus natural areas provide an opportunity for people to learn about our distinctive local ecosystems. Driven by conservation, the Natural Resources team manges our campus lands to support native communities and to provide critical habitats for threatened species, such as the gopher tortoises. The UCF prescribed fire program reduces wild fire risks, and helps sustain viable natural habitats.
Plant and Garden Production
We operate an organic community garden, which engages hundreds of volunteers by providing thousands of hours every year. The garden produces a bounty of fresh vegetables, most of which are donated to the Knights Helping Knights Pantry. We support Wellness and Health Promotion Services and the Knights Pantry through Fresh U, a campus-wide program that addresses food insecurity for students. Our Greenhouse facility managed by the Learning x Leading Plant Production team oversees the propagation of plants sold at our regularly scheduled plant sales. Come and visit us!