UW- Eau Claire campus arboretum was established in 2016 with the Centennial 100 Trees Project. The one hundred trees planted on the campus during the university’s centennial year, (2016) became the foundation of the campus arboretum.

Open to the public, the arboretum consists of 177 acres of developed land plus 230 acres in the Putnam Park natural area that surrounds the campus. The campus has formally identified 108 species of native and introduced trees.

The design of the UW- Eau Claire campus mall evokes the image of an oak savanna with widely spaced trees and native prairie plants on the north and south edges of the lawn. The oak savanna was once the most common vegetation types in the Midwest but today is highly endangered. The oaks in the campus mall include Swamp White, White and Bur Oak and are spaced with less than 50% coverage on the site. Other savanna tree species present include Shagbark Hickory, American Hornbeam, Tamarack, Hackberry, White Pine, Kentucky Coffeetree, and Basswood.

ArbNet certification promotes the importance of educational activities that highlight their unique sense of place in western Wisconsin and ecological management principles in monitoring campus tree planning and maintenance.