Arboretum is primarily a live collection of woody plants, often incorporating species of a particular group of plants or characteristic and rare taxa of a specific area or ecosystem, which are of conservation importance. The Arboretum was established in the main campus of Kerala Forest Research Institute at Peechi, in an area of about five hectares. The area is covered by moist deciduous forests with 33 species of trees and 820 individual stands. By supplementing the existing stands by filling tree gaps available, the live collection was organized. In order to systematically organise the Arboretum, initially, the plot was demarcated into grids of 25 x 25 m size and the positions of all the existing stands were marked and gaps for plantings were identified. Seeds of different arborescent species were collected from the moist deciduous forests of the State along with those of a few endemic species from the adjoining semievergreen, evergreen and dry deciduous forest types. The collected seeds were germinated in the nursery established for the purpose at the Field Research Station of the Institute at Veluppadam in Thrissur District, with the details generated on germination percentage of most of them. When the seedlings attained suitable size, they were planted in the Arboretum plot, in the tree gaps already identified, at a spacing of 3 to 4 metres, depending on the availability of space and known growth habit of the species being introduced.
The positions of the newly planted seedlings were marked in the grid maps and both existing and newly added species were accessioned and labeled. The labels include details like up to date botanical names, common synonym(s), family names, local names, source locality from where new collections were made and date of planting, which are also repeated in the species enumeration part of the Handbook. The Handbook also gives botanical details of the species and the height growth of the seedlings in the Arboretum plot, since their planting. The Arboretum is maintained with necessary causality replacements, and weeding and watering, whenever required.
The present holding of the Arboretum is 3089 accessions belonging to 170 species under 50 families and 122 genera, with more than 50 taxa endemic to southern Peninsular India. Arboretum is maintained with the details mentioned above and the grid maps with markings on the location details of each of the live collection. The Arboretum is also recognized internationally by inclusion in the Index Seminum with ID No. 1518 and is also enlisted in the National Network of Botanical Gardens in India.
Tree species like Tectona grandis, Xylia xylocarpa, Grewia tiliifolia, Cleistanthus collinus, Miliusa tomentosa, Dillenia pentagyna, Pterocarpus marsupium, Haldina cordifolia, etc. are sparsely distributed in the 5 hectare Arboretum plot. The open areas in the plot were used for planting of additional species to organize the Arboretum. The plot is of undulating terrain with an altitudinal variation of 8-10 m and is with sheet rock to the extend of about 10x5 m apart from smaller rocky outcrops, here and there. The area is mostly with in the compound wall of the campus with fencing on the southern part. There are also two staff quarters with in the Arboretum plot.
The KFRI Palmetum (Collection of live specimensof indigenous and exotic palms) is located in Peechi campus. KFRI palmetum has 95 species under 47 genera. Of them, 49 under 16 genera are indegenous palms and 46 under 33 genera are exotic ornamental species. Associate data sheet for the species contains description with identification features, origin of the scientific name of the plant, common and local names, distribution, silvicultural characters, flowering condition in the palmetum, uses of the palm if any, source of the plan and year of planting in the palmatum and photographs.
CANETUM
Thirty five species are represented in the Rattan(cane) germplasm at Peechi, Achencoil, Nilambur and Vazachal.
Contact person:Programme Co-ordinator, Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation Division, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi-680 653, Phone: 0487-2690 100
About 250 species of plants are maintained in the Medicinal plant
garden of the Institute. The raw materials collectad for comparative studies
were identified and kept as a reference collection in the Institute. The herbarium
specimens of the medicinal plants prepared were incorporated in the Institute
herbarium.
The KFRI Herbarium is internationally recognized with the acronym KFRI. 
It has a collection of 1851 species belonging to 894 genera and 194 families. In all, there are 8500 specimens of various species from the Western Ghats of Kerala.Contact person: The Scientist-in-Charge, Forest Botany, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi-680 653, Phone: 0487-2690 100.
XYLARIUM
Xylarium is a collection of wood specimens of various tree species. KFRI Xylarium has specimens of 499 tree species including indigenous and exotic.Contact person: The Scientist-in-Charge, Wood Science and Technology, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi-680 653, Phone: 0487-2690 100