Discovery and science

Creation
In the mid-1960s, a new campus was created to house the Grenoble University of Science and Medicine (later Joseph Fourier University, then Université Grenoble Alpes). At that time, Robert Ruffier-Lanche (see attached biography), head gardener at the Lautaret garden, began planting all kinds of trees on the remaining plots. A tireless and passionate worker, he went on to create an arboretum that is unrivalled in Isère.
 
After his death in 1973, the arboretum was maintained by André Ferranti, who worked at Professor Paul Ozenda's plant biology laboratory.

Unfortunately forgotten during the 1990s, it was not until 1999 that the arboretum began to be restored, thanks to a joint effort by the Biology Department, SIGDU (Interuniversity Service for University Property Management, now the Grenoble Universities Development Service) and the Lautaret Garden. Since 2000, significant restoration work has been carried out by Joëlle Leplan-Roux (assistant horticulturist), Richard Hurstel and then Pascal Salze (head horticulturists) and Camille Voisin (horticultural technician). In addition, an ambitious project was submitted to the local authorities (municipalities, department of Isère, Rhône-Alpes region). This project combined an educational development of this cultural and scientific heritage with the creation of a planetary trail. It was approved by the local authorities in 2003, which enabled the labeling of trees, the creation of a pond, and the redevelopment of part of the paths.

Access to the arboretum is free all year round.

The Manuel Forestini Planetary Trail
The Manuel Forestini planetary trail is a small-scale reproduction of the solar system. Both an educational and artistic tool, it is a walk designed for the general public. Created in 2003, this trail is part of the arboretum site and, thanks to explanatory signage, can be visited freely.