About Us

For more than 35 years…Cultivating Connections between People, Plants and Places…amid a 434-acre public garden, The North Carolina Arboretum is located within the Bent Creek Experimental Forest just south of Asheville and adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 393. Surrounded and crisscrossed by forested coves and meandering creeks in the botanically diverse Southern Appalachian Mountains, The North Carolina Arboretum is set in one of the most beautiful natural settings in America.

The Arboretum was established as an affiliate of the University of North Carolina System by the State General Assembly in 1986, nearly a century after Frederick law Olmsted, the Father of American Landscape Architecture, first envisioned a research arboretum as part of his legacy and plan for George Vanderbilt at Biltmore Estate.

Located on land within the Pisgah National Forest, the Arboretum is operated under a special use permit issued by the National Forests in North Carolina. This permit does not give the Arboretum the authority to allow commercial activities on National Forest land. Please visit the National Forests in North Carolina website or call the Pisgah Ranger District at 828-877-3265 for more information regarding permitting.

Click on the links below to learn more about the Arboretum, employment opportunities and the latest news and happenings:

News

Employment

Governance

Staff Directory

The North Carolina Arboretum, an affiliate entity of The University of North Carolina System, is under permit by the Pisgah National Forest for use of the U. S. Forest Service property on which it is located. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or if all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)

If you require this information in alternative format (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). If you require information about this program, activity, or facility in a language other than English, contact the USDA agency responsible for the program or activity, or any USDA office. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (866) 632-9992(voice). TDD uses can contact USDA through local relay or the Federal relay at (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (relay voice users). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.