A Green Campus
The Arbor Day Foundation has named Tulane University a 2009 Tree Campus USA University for its dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship.
"The Tree Campus USA program will have a long-lasting impact at Tulane as it engages college students and local citizens to plant trees and create healthier communities for people to enjoy for decades to come," says John Rosenow, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. (Photo by Paula Burch-Celentano)
Tree Campus USA, a national program launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation, honors colleges, universities and community leaders for promoting healthy urban forest management and engaging the campus community in environmental stewardship.
Tulane met the required five core standards of tree care and community engagement needed to attain Tree Campus USA status. The university has a campus tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, a dedicated annual budget for the campus tree-care plan, student service-learning projects related to tree care and involvement in an Arbor Day observance.
Tulane will officially celebrate its Tree Campus USA designation on Friday, Nov. 6, with a plaque dedication, festivities and a tree-planting event from noon to 5 p.m. On that day, students will plant 45 trees in green spaces bordering recreation areas as well as in a new campus community garden to be located near Willow Street behind the Wall Residential College.
"The new trees will define and enhance the campus community garden and create areas of shade in campus quads," says Mihnea Dobre, a design project coordinator in the Office of the University Architect. "We are looking ahead to year-round enjoyment of fragrances, from the fruit of the persimmon, honey locust, and fig trees during the winter months, and from the blossoms of the kumquat, pomegranate, pawpaw and satsuma in the spring."
Representatives from Mizell Landscapes, Manning Architects and BaumGardens worked with Tulane's campus tree advisory committee, Tulane Facilities Services and the Office of the University Architect to create a landscaping plan. The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology advised on the planting selection to ensure the best diversity of native and naturalized trees.
