Campus Tree Finder Map
There are more than 8,000 actively managed trees in the Waugh Arboretum of 350+ species. The trees, shrubs and gardens in the Waugh Arboretum are planted throughout campus. Our campus occupies over 13.4 million gross square feet of buildings over 1,450 acres of land in the campus core. More About UMass
Use our interactive campus tree finder map to locate and learn more about them.
Founder's Day Is Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Founder's Day is Wednesday, April 29, 2026 and takes place on the UMass Amherst campus. It is a day-long celebration of events including activities hosted by Arboretum Committee members of tree climbing demonstrations, a walking tree tour, seedling giveaways and more. Enjoy a free cookout catered by the award-winning UMass Dining.
Our Mission
The Waugh Arboretum, established in 1944, is a campus-wide collection of trees. It supports a landscape for learning, research and exploration.
The Waugh Arboretum is built on the historic territory of the Nipmuc, Pocumtuc, and Nonotuck Nations. Following European colonization, the land currently occupied by UMass was mostly cleared and then replanted.
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(Photo of a pollinator, Hummingbird Clearwing: Courtesy Michael Amato)
Take A Virtual Walk In Our Arboretum
Take a virtual tour of our Arboretum in our Campus Tree Storymap. See stunning pictures of our trees including the eastern redbud (pictured). The Eastern Redbud is a gorgeous small flowering tree native to the southeastern and midwestern US. It has distinctive heart-shaped leaves and produces clusters of bright pink flowers in March-May.
There are 42 Eastern Redbud trees in the Arboretum. The two shown in the photo are located in front of Stockbridge Hall which is opposite the Student Union Building.
Assessing Tree Decay by Dr. Brian Kane
Brian Kane is an ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualified (TRAQ) arborist, a professor at UMass Amherst and the Arboretum Committee Chair. Assessing the Likelihood of Failure Due to Stem Decay Using Different Assessment Techniques by Dr. Kane was published in TCI Magazine Jan 2026.
Decay is a common defect that occurs in all parts of a tree. Decayed wood has very little strength and often leads to hollows, cavities or both. When decay or a hollow is present in a tree part, its load-bearing capacity is reduced.
Dr. Waugh tried to teach his students about the spirit of the land
The Waugh Arboretum was named after the landscape architect pioneer Frank A. Waugh who was the first head of what is now the university’s landscape architecture and regional planning department.
We walk on the landscape, we drink of it; in it we live, and move, and have our being. we go a mile and the landscape goes with us. We are born into it, and not even death, nor any other creature can separate us from it.
Frank A. Waugh, The Landscape Beautiful (New York: Orange Judd Company, 1910), p.102.