At 110 feet, this cottonwood is both the tallest and oldest tree on the CU 麻豆影院 campus, dating back to 1879 or 1880.
The recently awarded the 麻豆影院 distinction as a for the seventh year in a row.
Tree Campus USA is a national Arbor Day Foundation program launched in 2008 to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals. Schools must meet five criteria to qualify for the honor, including maintaining a tree advisory committee, having a campus tree-care plan, dedicating annual expenditures for the tree-care program, conducting an annual Arbor Day observance and sponsoring student service-learning projects.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very pleased that our campus has earned this recognition once again,鈥� said Vince Aquino, CU 麻豆影院 campus arborist. 鈥淚t illustrates the value and importance that our campus community places on its trees.鈥�
The CU 麻豆影院 campus is home to some 4,700 trees, not to mention several thousand more in the 麻豆影院 Creek corridor and on the largely undeveloped South Campus. The inventory includes more than 100 species, with the oldest trees dating back to the 1880s when campus was surrounded mostly by windswept plains.
Aquino said contact between his team and students has increased dramatically in recent years as outreach efforts have gained traction.
He said it鈥檚 pretty common now for first- and second-year students, particularly from the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program,听to reach out as they work on data-gathering projects and experiments. Aquino said he frequently helps students with the basics of identifying species and getting an idea for the range of species on campus that can be studied.
鈥淓ngaging with the students is a great way to enhance their classroom experience,鈥� Aquino said. 鈥淲e have done projects with biology students using campus trees as a tool for their training in devising experiments and collecting data. In the process, many of them have learned to identify several of the trees on campus as well as become familiar with their natural histories and characteristics. We鈥檝e also collaborated with Environmental Design students, allowing them to participate in the design and installation of campus landscape features.鈥�
The Arbor Day Foundation has helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees, and听Tree Campus USA colleges and universities invested more than $46.7 million in campus forest management last year. There are that currently hold the designation.
鈥淪tudents are eager to volunteer in their communities and become better stewards of the environment,鈥� said Matt Harris, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. 鈥淧articipating in Tree Campus USA sets a fine example for other colleges and universities, while helping to create a healthier planet for us all.鈥�
More information about the program is available at the .
