CHAMPAIGN, IL – The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign received recognition as a Tree Campus USA® by the Arbor Day Foundation for a third straight year due to its comprehensive management and care of the more than 15,000 trees on campus. 
The Urbana campus’ commitment to tree care includes certified arborists on staff, yearly investments in new plantings and materials, the rehabilitation of local woodland sites with native species, and the systematic removal of trees plagued by Emerald Ash Borer beetles or overrun by invasive plant species, like honeysuckle.
Upcoming initiatives include:
- A detailed GPS update to the campus tree inventory performed by the Davey Tree Expert Company starting in May 2018 to calculate quantity and benefits of trees on campus and estimate carbon sequestration impacts
- A census of the Trelease Woods Forest Dynamics Plot supported by $69K in funding from Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
- Improvements at the South Arboretum Woodlands for bird-friendly habitat, additional native species, and extensive student involvement opportunities, also funded by the SSC
|
Campus Arbor Day Celebration
Date: Friday, April 27, 2018
Time: 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
Location: Main Quad by Lincoln Hall, or the lobby of Foellinger Auditorium (in case of inclement weather)
Speakers: Senior Associate Chancellor Mike DeLorenzo and Campus Landscape Architect Brent Lewis
Activities: Participants at the celebration will be invited to help plant a tree, and student volunteers will host a tree-via game with prizes.
|
The Campus Tree Advisory Committee—with representatives from Crop Sciences; Landscape Architecture; the City of Urbana’s Arbor Division; the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE); the University of Illinois Arboretum; and Facilities & Services (F&S)— and campus leaders will celebrate the honor at the fourth annual Campus Arbor Day Celebration Friday, April 27. Members of the campus community are invited to attend and help plant a new tree on the Main Quad.
The university recognizes the benefits of trees and their impact providing habitat for diverse species, sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, and having a positive effect on human spirit and behavior.
The updated 2017 Illinois Tree Campus Plan is available at http://go.fs.illinois.edu/tree.
Green spaces such as the Main and South Quads, the Arboretum, and Allerton Park & Retreat Center are just a few examples of outdoor areas that give students and faculty settings to relax while also inspiring and encouraging learning opportunities aimed at creating a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future for all.
The Arbor Day Foundation has helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities invested more than $48M in campus forest management last year. More information about the program is available at arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA.
Tree
Campus USA® News Release
PDF