Arbor means tree. An arboretum consists of woody plants like trees and shrubs. The Arboretum at Ringve holds around 120 species of spruce (Picea), pine (Pinus), fir (Abies) and larch (Larix), as well as deciduous trees of birch (Betula) and willows (Salix).

The pond in the middle of the Arboretum represents the Arctic Ocean. The trees and shrubs are planted around the pond in correspondence with their geographic distribution in the Northern Hemisphere. A walk around the pond is like a walk through changing forests, across and between continents.

The trees closest to the pond form the arctic tree line in the north of Europe, Siberia, and Canada. As you walk farther away from the pond you will find more southern species.