UW-Madison Arboretum

What UW-Madison Arboretum does

The UW-Madison Arboretum is a 1,200-acre research and learning center owned and operated by the University of Wisconsin–Madison under the oversight of the Vice Chancellor for Research. Founded in 1934 with research director Aldo Leopold, it pioneered the science of ecological restoration and operates Curtis Prairie—the oldest restored prairie in the world (begun 1935)—and Greene Prairie, one of the finest restored prairies in the United States. Core holdings also include the Longenecker Horticultural Gardens (the largest and most diverse collection of woody plants in Wisconsin), the Wisconsin Native Plant Garden, oak savanna, forest, and wetland restorations, plus eleven outlying properties throughout Wisconsin. The institution's technology base centers on ecological restoration science using adaptive management, including prescribed fire, invasive species control, native habitat restoration, and a flux tower supporting eddy covariance ecosystem flux measurements. Additional infrastructure includes the Journey North citizen science program (monarch butterfly and hummingbird migration tracking), the Lake Wingra Chloride Springs Monitoring project, graduate research fellowships, and a Data and GIS function formalized in 2023.

The Arboretum serves multiple segments under a hybrid segmentation approach: general public visitors (free admission for hiking, birdwatching, nature photography, and environmental education), the UW-Madison academic community (graduate research, undergraduate education, faculty research, and field labs), volunteer groups (corporate teams, community organizations, student groups contributing to restoration work), and children and families (school field trips, Earth Focus Day Camp, youth programs). Its value proposition is anchored in intangible assets—National Historic Landmark designation (2021), National Register of Historic Places listing (2019), the oldest restored prairie in the world, and a multi-decade ecological monitoring data advantage.

Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of small streams: donations and Friends of the Arboretum memberships (the primary funding channel), photography permits sold as one-time licenses ($35 per session) or annual permits ($350/year), annual Friends Native Plant Sales, and educational programming. General admission is free, making this fundamentally a publicly funded university unit with supplementary earned income and philanthropic support rather than a commercial enterprise. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on a website (arboretum.wisc.edu), email newsletter, social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram), free public events, school and youth programs, restoration work parties, citizen science initiatives, and recurring corporate and organizational volunteer partnerships with Epic, Google, Exact Sciences, Wisconsin FFA, and others.

Name

UW-Madison Arboretum

Legal name

University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum

Website

https://arboretum.wisc.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The UW-Madison Arboretum is a 1,200-acre public university research center in Madison, Wisconsin, founded in 1934, that operates the world's oldest restored prairie and leads research, education, and volunteer programs in ecological restoration and conservation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Research Arboretum and Ecological Restoration Preserve

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Parks, Gardens & Botanical Attractions (THAJACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Invasive Species & Vegetation Management (Woody Plants) (HSAIADAI), Native, Pollinator & Drought-Tolerant Garden Installations (HSAIAFAL), Forestry & Public Lands Administration (State/National Forests) (BPAIAMAF)

Keywords

• Ecological restoration
• Public arboretum
• Native plant conservation
• Environmental education
• University research preserve

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: Friends of the Arboretum membership program and general donations from visitors and supporters.
2. Photography Permits: One-session permits at $35 or annual permits at $350 for professional and amateur photographers.
3. Native Plant Sales: Friends Native Plant Sale providing native plants to the public for gardening and restoration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The UW-Madison Arboretum manages 1,260 acres of restored prairie, savanna, wetland, and forest habitats and a horticultural collection of more than 5,000 native plant accessions on the UW-Madison campus. It offers free public access, adult and youth environmental education, a native plant sale, photography permitting, and serves as a living laboratory supporting University of Wisconsin-Madison research, graduate fellowships, and citizen science monitoring programs.

Product overview

UW-Madison Arboretum is a 1,200-acre research and learning center that serves as a living laboratory for ecological restoration. The institution operates a unified offering centered on land conservation, research facilitation, and public education. Core products include: Curtis Prairie (the world's oldest restored prairie, established 1935) and Greene Prairie (premier restored prairie, planted from 1943); Longenecker Horticultural Gardens (Wisconsin's largest woody plant collection); Wisconsin Native Plant Garden; Arboretum Research Fellowships (graduate research funding); Citizen Science Programs (community monitoring); Educational Programs (adult/children/youth); and Volunteer Programs (restoration work). The institution's operations span land stewardship, ecological research, environmental education, and visitor engagement, functioning as both a National Historic Landmark (2021) and a UW-Madison research center.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Photography Permits
• Friends Native Plant Sale
• Arboretum Research Fellowships

Quantifiable outcome

• Curtis Prairie established as oldest restored prairie in the world (1935)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Clean Lakes AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Near-weekly Volunteer Day program bringing volunteers for lake-benefitting work across the watershed, including annual projects at the UW Arboretum. Volunteers engage in prairie and savanna restoration work.
• Monarch Joint VenturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Journey North program, which tracks monarch butterfly and hummingbird migrations, is migrating to Monarch Joint Venture for continued citizen science collaboration.
• Wisconsin Salt WisecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership to reduce salt contamination in Lake Wingra. Collaborated on stakeholder meetings to promote winter maintenance best practices throughout the watershed, working with watershed partners on smart salting education and implementation.
• Dr. Hilary Dugan's Lab, Center for LimnologycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Research partnership with UW-Madison Center for Limnology focused on salt contamination and chloride levels in Lake Wingra, including surface water and groundwater chloride data collection.
• Madison CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIncorporated service-learning projects into environmental science lab sections, with students volunteering in Longenecker Horticultural Gardens and Wisconsin Native Plant Garden.
• Wisconsin FFAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual volunteer projects during state convention since 2016, with FFA members volunteering in Longenecker Horticultural Gardens.
• EpicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate volunteer projects at the Arboretum since 2005.
• GoogleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate volunteer service projects since 2012.
• Exact SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate volunteer projects since 2018.
• Temple Beth ElminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer projects since 2003.
• Friends of Lake WingracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStakeholder partner in Lake Wingra salt reduction initiatives and watershed protection efforts.
• Chicago Botanic GardenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration; new Research Ecologist Jared Beck previously worked at Chicago Botanic Garden studying prescribed fire and prairie plant populations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UWArboretum
• Facebookfacebook.com/UWArboretum
• Instagraminstagram.com/uwarboretum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uw-madison-arboretum

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UW-Madison Arboretum