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Seeing the Forest Through the Trees

The George G. Willis Jr. Arboretum at Furman University is a Level I arboretum certified through The Morton Register of Arboreta. Furman earned the recognition beginning in 2014 for exemplifying tree conservation, species diversity, and educational resources and events focused on landscapes and trees. The arboretum, whose grounds and tree tags are accessible to the public on the Furman campus, strives to be a model for other arboreta in the Southeast and across the nation. The predominance of native species makes the arboretum representative of arboriculture in Upstate South Carolina, and provides learning and research opportunities related to the region. Students and faculty from both the natural and social sciences are collaborating to research and promote the environmental and human services provided by trees. The arboretum is named for George G. Willis Jr., a 1948 graduate whose passion for the Furman landscape persists to fund future arboretum developments.