Horticulture Internship (Isabella Welles Hunnewell Internship Program)

Job Description

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University offers paid internships in collections management with concentrations in arboriculture, collections curation, horticulture and landscape maintenance, or plant production. Experiences integrate hands-on training with educational classes and visits to other botanical institutions. Interns are accepted for 12- to 14-week appointments (typically May through August).

As part of the training program, interns work alongside professional staff in their host department and participate in instructional sessions across disciplines to develop a comprehensive sense of the Arboretum’s collections management practices. Field trips to other public gardens are offered throughout the summer to expose interns to the broader field of public horticulture and provide networking opportunities with professional staff at these institutions. As members of the Arboretum community, interns are encouraged to share their experience and knowledge and participate fully in the institution’s work. As a capstone project, interns work as a group to address a real collections management issue and present their proposal to their peers and Arboretum staff.

All internships are full-time (40 hours/week) for the duration of the program and are paid experiences at a rate of $20/hour. Housing is not provided.

Internships are available with the following concentrations: Arboriculture, Curation, Horticulture and Landscape Maintenance, and Plant Production.

About Us

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is the oldest public arboretum in North America and one of the world’s leading centers for the study of plants. Founded in 1872 and designed by America’s first landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, and the Arboretum’s first director, Charles Sprague Sargent, the 281-acre Arboretum is a historic landmark and one of the best-preserved of Olmsted’s landscapes. A unique blend of beloved public landscape and respected research institution, the Arboretum provides and supports world-class research, horticulture, and education programs that foster the understanding, appreciation, and preservation of woody plants. Along with a horticultural library and herbarium encompassing some 1.5 million dried plant specimens, the Arboretum comprises one of the largest and best-documented woody plant collections in the world, with roughly 16,000 accessioned plants.

Duties & Responsibilities

Internships are available with the following concentrations:

Horticulture and Landscape Maintenance

Working with the horticulture staff, summer interns weed, mulch, mow, plant, prune, scout and monitor plant pests and diseases, operate a wide range of maintenance equipment, and perform other associated tasks as part of caring for the Arboretum’s 281 acres. All interns rotate through various collections and gardens within the landscape, obtaining experience with diverse types of plant material, as well as getting opportunities to learn from many horticulture staff members. In addition, each intern will spend time with the arborist crew, focusing on pruning skills, chainsaw use, and tree climbing. Applicants should have some experience in landscape maintenance and an interest in exploring career paths in public horticulture.

Arboriculture (Climbing Arborist)

The arboriculture-focused experience is for those applicants exploring a career path as a climbing arborist. Interns spend their time working alongside the Arboretum’s arborists as they rotate through the collections evaluating plant health and assessing and executing the unique pruning needs of each specimen. This team works on large-scale plant removals, tree hazard assessments and corrective pruning measures, IPM practices, and other tasks as needed as part of the full horticultural operation. Applicants must have some experience in urban forestry or arboriculture and a basic working knowledge of aerial tree care, i.e., climbing.

Plant Production

Staff members at the Dana Greenhouses and Nursery propagate and grow all the plant material that is eventually planted into the permanent collections of the Arboretum. Interns are introduced to the nursery and greenhouse production cycle and assist in watering, weeding, mulching, potting, and other jobs as required. The work varies from physical labor to technical work, with emphasis on proper growing methods. This internship also gives an overview of our accessioning and plant inventory process, including an introduction to BG-BASE (collections management software). Applicants should have some experience in plant propagation and/or greenhouse operations.

Curation

The Curatorial Department administers record-keeping and documentation projects for all living and legacy plant collections, directs acquisition and collection development initiatives, and facilitates the use of the collection by scholars. Of central importance is the annual inventory or field check of nursery holdings and roughly a fifth of the living collections. The curatorial intern assists staff with inventory work, which includes plant health assessments, plant measurements, map verification, and label production/deployment. Additional time is spent entering archival data to curatorial databases and understanding curatorial methodologies. Interns will receive considerable training in BG-BASE (collections management software). Applicants are expected to have strong woody plant identification skills.

Education and Experience

The Arnold Arboretum is committed to diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all qualified candidates. Interns selected for the Isabella Welles Hunnewell Internship Program are expected to participate fully in the work-life of the institution with maturity, punctuality, curiosity, and a commitment to learning. Preference will be given to candidates who have at least some of the following qualifications:

• One or more years of education in horticulture, botany, landscape design, or other plant-related fields at a college, or university.
• Work experience in a nursery, greenhouse, garden center, park, arboretum, or botanical garden.
• Career aspirations in public horticulture, botany, or another plant-related field.
• Must have physical health and stamina to work in all weather conditions (heat, humidity, rain) and to maintain an elevated level of productivity.
• Maturity, self-motivation, and willingness to work as part of a team.

Additional Information

Along with your online application, please submit a resume and cover letter. Your cover letter should clearly state the following:

• Interest in the program
• Justification for your preferred internship focus (i.e., Horticulture, Arboriculture, Plant Production, Curation)
• Career objectives
• How this internship will help to achieve your goals

Application deadline: February 2nd.

Application Instructions

Apply online from our website at
https://arboretum.harvard.edu/about/jobs-and-opportunities/isabella-welles-hunnewell-internship-program/