The Arboretum of Ruhande

Arboretum of Ruhande Then and Now

The Arboretum of Ruhande is located at Ruhande Hill - hence it is called The Arboretum of Ruhande. It is found at 2°36’S and 29°44’E at an altitude of about 1,700 m a.s.l. in Huye District in the Southern Province of Rwanda. The Arboretum covers a surface of about 200 hectares and is subdivided into 454 plots. Each plot covers a surface of 50 m by 50 m (25 acres) with one or more species making up their respective tree layer. More than 500 different plant species represent the biodiversity of the Arboretum.

How it all started
The Arboretum of Ruhande was established in 1934 on Ruhande Hill by the request of the Territory Government of Rwanda-Urundi in order to identify the most productive species that adapt best to local conditions, as the need for firewood and wood as building material was very high. In 1954, the National Institute for Agronomic Study of the Belgian Congo (INEAC) took over the management of the Arboretum. At that time, the importance of the Arboretum for forestry research was also recognized.

Management nowadays by Rwanda Forestry Authority (RFA)
When Rwanda became independent in 1962, the Arboretum fell under the responsibility of the National University of Rwanda. Due to a lack of scientists and structures, the Arboretum was neglected and natural regeneration transformed it into bushland. In 1970, the Arboretum was split into a smaller part for the University and a bigger part for the Rwanda Agricultural Research Institute (ISAR), the successor of the INEAC. Research activities were then restarted and expanded. After several restructuring processes within the last 10 years, the Arboretum of Ruhande is nowadays managed by the Rwanda Forestry Authority (RFA).

What is an Arboretum?

   

An arboretum is a plantation of different tree species such as exotic and indigenous ones. The term comes from Latin: "arbor" means "tree". Referring to the eleventh edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica of 1911, the word "arboretum" was created by the botanist John Claudius Loudon and used in 1838 in one of his publications about tree species. (Photo: Google Maps, 11^th of August 2021)

Check out the arboretum map