Trees
bring great value to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, shading
buildings to reduce energy use, adding to air quality and creating a beautiful
and appealing campus.
The
university’s care and upkeep of these trees has earned UW-Stevens Point the
Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus USA designation for the fifth year in a row.
This national program was created in 2008 by the foundation and is sponsored by
Toyota. Four other Wisconsin schools were also designated.
Colleges
and universities are honored for engaging staff and students in conservation
goals as well as for campus forest management. UW-Stevens Point met the Tree
Campus USA program’s five standards, which include maintaining a tree advisory
committee, a campus-tree care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its
campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and student service-learning
project.
Students
in the College of Natural Resources forestry program help maintain the
university’s tree population. Classes led by professors Richard Hauer and Les
Werner created a campus wide inventory of trees that includes tree species, age
and health. Students from these classes help prune the trees, plant 10 to 15
new trees each spring and fall and maintain a tree nursery close to campus.
This
April, Students for Sustainability planted approximately 600 fruit bearing
plants, shrubs and trees as part of Earth Week, partially funded through the
Student Government Association Green Fund. The club consulted with Chris
Brindley, Building and Grounds supervisor, and UW-Stevens Point alumnus Tom
Girolamo of Eco-Building and Forestry as to the types and placements of these
plants.
“Our
tree program is all a part of our sustainability initiatives,” said Brindley.
“Trees and landscaping make a huge impact on our campus, as well as attract
students.”
Tree
Campus USA colleges and universities invested more than $29 million in campus
forest management last year. For more on the program, go to www.arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA.
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