Heverlee Woods Arboretum

The Arboretum Heverleebos, managed by the Agency for Nature and Forests, is located on the northern edge of the Heverlee Woods, less than 4 km from Leuven city centre. This 9-hectare tree collection was planted in 1930 with mostly non-native trees. The initiators wanted to investigate these trees’ demands on their growing environment and how they respond to local environmental factors, such as climate and soil.

Today, the arboretum houses over 300 different native and non-native tree and shrub species, including remarkable trees like the American snake-bark maple, ginkgo, golden larch, katsura, juniper, giant sequoia, wild apple, and soapberry. Whereas the arboretum used to be of interest mainly to specialists, it is now an attractive place for everyone, with trees of all sizes, rest areas, a heathland field, and a 1.2-kilometre wheelchair-accessible walking path. The mud forest hut with a green roof at the entrance is an ideal starting point for your walk (see photo).

Picture: copyright Ian Komac