Established by President Trevor Colbourn in 1983, the UCF Arboretum history began with approximately 12 acres (4.9 ha) of a disturbed pond pine (Pinus serotina) community just east of the developed area of campus and the Arboretum Public Garden.
In 1988, at President Altman’s direction, the University expanded the Arboretum to include a 5-acre (2.0 ha) Cypress dome, an oak hammock of approximately 3 acres (1.2 ha), and approximately 15 acres (6.1 ha) of sand pine and Florida scrub, connected to the original Arboretum by a saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) community and increasingly rare Florida longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) flatwoods. Currently, the official Arboretum boundary encompasses approximately 82 acres (33.2 ha). The original Arboretum director, Dr. Hank O. Whittier, a professor in the Biology Department remained director until his retirement in 2003. Dr. Martin Quigley became the new director from 2003-2009.
In 2010, Dr. Patrick Bohlen was hired as the Director of Landscape and Natural Resources (LNR) and the Arboretum. This department was responsible for operating and maintaining the entire campus landscape, which included our campus natural lands, as well as the landscapes at other UCF locations like the College of Medicine at Lake Nona. The Arboretum and LNR work together to help facilitate the research, education and outreach components of the Arboretum program.
In 2019, the Learning by Leading (LxL) program was instituted as an internship and leadership program for students on UCF’s main campus to gain valuable hands-on experience executing program initiatives and signature projects. Mentors and student leaders (Co-Coordinators) lead intern teams to facilitate Arboretum events, support the sites, and embody community, sustainability, and environmental education.
In 2022, the Arboretum moved from the College of Sciences to Facilities and Business Operations and merged with Sustainability Initiatives to become the Arboretum and Sustainability Initiatives (ASI). Jennifer Elliott took the role of Director of the Arboretum and Sustainability Initiatives, and the LxL program remained unchanged.