WVU's commitment to urban forest management has earned a Tree Campus USA designation shared by fewer than 400 other higher ed institutions. Maintaining and preserving healthy trees enhances the look and feel of campus for students, faculty and staff.
West Virginia University’s commitment to effective urban forest management was fast-tracked throughout the last year, enhancing the look and feel of campus by preserving campus trees and planning for the planting of dozens of new trees to replace canopy cover lost to pests and age. The work has earned WVU a Tree Campus USA designation, making it one of 364 campuses to have the title.
WVU achieved the title by meeting Tree Campus USA’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 projects.
“This designation has been earned through the hard work of a tree committee made up of faculty, facilities staff, students, community members and even WVU retirees,” said James Kosik, associate vice president for Facilities and Services. “We know that the look and feel of campus is important to students choosing to study at WVU and our commitment to sustainability necessitates strategic management of resources on our 850+ acres of Morgantown’s campus.”
Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation, said Tree Campuses and their students set examples for not only their student bodies but the surrounding communities by showcasing how trees create a healthier environment. Lambe said because WVU is participating in the program the air will be purer, water cleaner and the University’s students and faculty will be surrounded by the shade and beauty the trees provide.
To celebrate this achievement and mark its 2019 Arbor Day, the Tree Campus committee invites the entire campus community to a tree planting April 24 at 2 p.m. on the east side of the Agricultural Sciences Building, facing Percival Hall.
The Arbor Day Foundation has helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities invested more than $51 million in campus forest management last year.
Review WVU’s tree care plan and committee membership.
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pp/tk/04/12/19
CONTACT: Traci Knabenshue
Sustainability Director
304.293.7916; traci.knabenshue@mail.wvu.edu
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