The University of Maryland was honored with the 2017 Tree Campus USA®recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to promoting healthy trees and environmental stewardship . This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Tree Campus designation, with UMD making the list each year.
We are honored to yet again be recognized as a Tree Campus USA, said Charles Reuning, UMD’s chief facilities officer. As a campus that is an arboretum and botanical garden in itself, Maryland understands the stewardship needs of its urban forest, including consistent maintenance of our many campus trees and opportunities to involve the campus community.”
In observance of Arbor Day at UMD, on Wednesday, April 4, the campus hosted a tree planting ceremony near Glenn L. Martin Hall. This ceremonial willow oak planting served as an early installment of the campus wide Earth Month celebration.
The Tree Campus USA program honors colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals. University of Maryland 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 project. Currently there are 344 campuses across the United States with this recognition and the University of Maryland is one 25 charter and continuing campuses to hold this honor.
“Students are eager to volunteer in their communities and become better stewards of the environment,” said Matt Harris, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Participating in Tree Campus USA sets a fine example for other colleges and universities, while helping to create a healthier planet for us 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 $48 million in campus forest management last year. More information about the program is available at arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA.
Written by Karen Petroff, Assistant Director, University of Maryland Arboretum & Botanical Gardens