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UT Arboretum director updates Oak Ridge council on research, visitation and facilities
Summary
Kevin Hoyt of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture told the Oak Ridge City Council work session that the UT Arboretum is a 250-acre research and education resource with about 35,000 annual visitors, active breeding and pest-management research, expanding outreach programs and facility needs including signage and restrooms.
Kevin Hoyt, who leads operations at the University of Tennessee Arboretum, briefed the Oak Ridge City Council work session on current research, visitation and facilities at the 250-acre site on March 18.
Hoyt said the arboretum is "a research and education center" that is part of the Institute of Agriculture and described the facility as open "365 days a year" except for inclement weather. He told the council the arboretum manages walking trails, active tree-improvement and dogwood-breeding programs, integrated pest management work and research plots that support UT and regional partners, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory and The Nature Conservancy.
The presenter said the arboretum operates with a small core staff—"six staff members"—and one staff member, Michelle Campanis, is dedicated to education and outreach programs. Hoyt described a mix of local and international visitation and said the arboretum team is considering a visitor study with the UT School of Natural Resources and the city's recreation department to estimate economic impact.
Hoyt listed several programs and public events: a monthly third-Saturday interpretive-hike series, Project Learning Tree programs and a youth "bug camp" for third to fifth graders. He highlighted the UT Arboretum Butterfly Festival, noting it attracts large crowds and thousands of cars and is held in September. He also said the arboretum works with the UT Arboretum Society and volunteers including Boy Scouts on trail and bridge projects.
Council members asked about signage, accessibility and restrooms. Hoyt said the new UT dean, Hong Wei Shen, is interested in helping fund improved signage on Illinois Avenue and that the arboretum is considering adding an accessible trail and outdoor restrooms "down by the office," but that capital projects must go through UT's Department of Capital Projects and are costly.
Councilman Hensley noted volunteer and community support, and Councilwoman Smith raised the question of expansion and facilities; Hoyt said the site is largely "hemmed" by topography and land use but that additional small facilities such as restrooms are in the pipeline.
Hoyt closed by inviting council to programs and noting upcoming plant sale dates. He also pointed to continued partnerships with the city and regional agencies to sustain and promote the arboretum.
The presentation was informational; no council action was taken during the work session.
