The Haverford College Arboretum in Haverford, PA has been upgraded to a Level III Accreditation by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens.  The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program is the only global initiative to officially recognize arboreta at various levels of development, capacity, and professionalism. 

The vision of this campus arboretum is to value the importance of its rich history, natural landscape, and the opportunities they present.  Working with different communities, they serve to educate and preserve the ecologically diverse habitat and provide stewardship for the collections for generations to come.

The Arboretum Association originally grew out of a Campus Club, established in 1901 by a group of faculty and alumni concerned with the care of the maturing tree collection first planted in 1834 under the direction of the college’s board of managers to turn 60 of the original 200 acres of farm land into a landscape or “Great Lawn” around Founders Hall.  The Campus Club wanted to maintain the beauty of the campus, the diversity of the collection, its role in supporting wildlife, and the opportunity it offered to educate the community around the college, as well as the student population.

The Arboretum has worked diligently the past few years to establish and maintain a dynamic educational program including lectures, tours, community classes, conferences, professional arboriculture workshops, college student programs, and preschool through 12th grade service-learning opportunities. These programs are accomplished through the work of a full-time employee dedicated to programming and outreach. The programming department has expanded drastically from offering five programs a year in 2015 to executing over 50 programs this past year. 

One particular highlight of the Haverford College Arboretum is the 2.2 mile wooded Nature Trail that follows the perimeter of the entire campus.  Runners, dog walkers, bird watchers and more enjoy the surprisingly bucolic experience in the midst of a bustling suburban community.  The Nature Trail and entire 216-acre campus are open to the public free of charge from dawn to dusk, every day of the year (except Commencement Day).