The Arboretum, established in 1986 by the NC General Assembly, is an affiliate campus of the University of North Carolina. The Arboretum's mission 'To Cultivate Connections Between People and Plants' is accomplished through education, economic development, research, conservation, and garden demonstration. Located within the Bent Creek Experimental Forest of the Pisgah National Forest a few minutes south of Asheville, the 434-acre Arboretum property encompasses 65 acres of cultivated gardens and 10 miles of forested hiking/biking trails.