The Arboretum

Nature and landscape have been integral to Vassar’s culture, campus, and curriculum from the inception of the college. Its site in the Hudson Valley has long been naturally enriched by lakes and creeks, and surrounded by gentle ravines, hollows, farmland, grasslands, and woods, creating a striking range of landscape types, as well as ecological diversity. Today there are over 2600 trees spread across the campus, representing over 170 species.

Visitors to the arboretum will see the central greensward conceived by John Charles Olmsted (1896), the country’s second oldest Shakespeare Garden, constructed by Vassar students studying Shakespeare and Botany (1916); and the Edith Roberts Outdoor Ecological Laboratory, established to showcase native plant communities, and the first of its kind (1920). The 525-acre Preserve, home to over 600 species of vascular plants, is adjacent to the main campus and accessible via several walking trails. Faculty and students from across the curriculum draw on the arboretum for their research. Each year, Arbor Day celebrations include the ceremonial planting of a Class Tree, and other tree celebrations and dedications.

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A large poster titled "Tree Stories" is displayed prominently, featuring images of leaves and tree-related information. Two individuals are engaged with the poster, one wearing a bright red jacket and the other in a green and gray outfit. The background consists of wooden paneling, and the space is illuminated by soft, natural light. Various leaf cutouts are attached to the board, along with printed materials discussing tree history and a local tree museum.

Tree Stories

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Do you love trees? Why? What’s your favorite tree? What’s your tree story? Between November 7 and 21, add your contribution to one of the large Tree Stories boards, found in Gordon Commons, College Center, the Bridge, and the Athletics and Fitness Center.

Campus community only, please.

A table is set up outdoors, featuring various food items, including a plastic container filled with red apples and baked goods. Two individuals are engaged in preparation; one is pouring from a metal kettle, while the other places items on the table. In the foreground, a person with short, colorful hair is observing the table and holding a cup. The setting is vibrant, characterized by sunlight casting soft shadows, and the surrounding area displays green grass and trees with autumn foliage.

Food From Trees

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Acorn cookies?! Sumac tea?! Both are delicious! Come on out and have a taste at the Vassar Arboretum’s pop-up event showcasing the various kinds of food that come from trees.

ArborScope Vassar College

Satellite view of an Arborscope map of Vassar campus showing locations of trees.

A web-based tree census of the Arboretum. View the interactive map

ArcGis Arboretum Tree Map

Satellite view of an Arcgis map of Vassar campus showing locations of trees.

A web-based tree map of the Arboretum with details and photos. View the interactive map

Graphic with trees and text that reads: ArbNet by the Morton Arboretum.
Graphic with trees and text that reads: Accredited Arboretum Level II, ArbNet by the Morton Arboretum.

In 2020, the Vassar Arboretum was accredited as an ArbNet Level II Arboretum, which is characterized by a minimum of 100 species, varieties or cultivars of trees or woody plants. These must be planted and grown in accordance with an arboretum plan with a clearly defined purpose and audience, and provisions for maintenance and care in accordance with certain standards, including a policy on invasive species. This accreditation also stipulates a governing group dedicated to the arboretum plan and staff to maintain it, as well as collections inventory and record-keeping practices. Public access, information on the plants, and programming are other key components.

Black and green graphic with trees and text that reads: tree camp usa.
Vassar College has been a certified Tree Campus since 2012, dedicated to managing all campus trees, integrating the campus with the surrounding city to promote urban forests, and engaging students in campus and community forestry work.
Black and yellow logo with a bee, a flower, and text that reads: bee campus USA, Vassar College.
The Vassar College Campus is also a certified Bee Campus, committed to creating pollinator-friendly habitats. We have created resources about local native plants to help educate the Vassar community and Poughkeepsie residents about beneficial plants for the area.
Graphic with a brick wall with green vines draped over it in the background and white text in the foreground that reads: Vassar Nature RX, Vassar College.
VNRx is a campus-wide initiative to foster the health and well-being of the Vassar community through engagement with nature. It seeks to familiarize the community with the many opportunities to engage with greenspace, and to promote awareness of nature’s healing powers.

Land Acknowledgment

We acknowledge that Vassar stands upon the homelands of the Munsee Lenape, Indigenous peoples who have an enduring connection to this place despite being forcibly displaced by European colonization. Munsee Lenape peoples continue today as the Stockbridge-Munsee Community in Wisconsin, the Delaware Tribe and the Delaware Nation in Oklahoma, and the Munsee Delaware Nation in Ontario. Read the full statement.