CC Honored for Promoting Healthy Trees and Conservation

By Leah Veldhuisen ’19

For providing both a home for a multitude of beautiful trees, and a campus community that is interested in conservation, CC has received a recent award honoring its passion, pride, and protection of trees.

The Arbor Day Foundation runs a program called Tree Campus USA that rewards campuses around the country for effectively managing their tree populations, working with the greater community to facilitate healthy urban forests, and engaging students in service opportunities related to forestry.

This year, CC has received recognition for its efforts and has been accepted into the Tree Campus USA program. To be recognized, a campus must meet the five core standards for sustainable campus forestry: Establishing a campus tree advisory committee; implementing a campus tree care program; providing dedicated annual funding for tree care; observing Arbor Day; and providing service learning opportunities. CC has met all of these standards, earning recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation.

Mike Spruce, CC’s arborist, says this recognition demonstrates “CC’s continued commitment to our trees on campus.” The college has more than 2,100 campus trees that “create the unique sense of place that is Colorado College.” Spruce plans to celebrate Arbor Day 2017, and says that “we will definitely have a community tree planting event on Armstrong Quad sometime in late April,” with more events to be announced. Colorado’s Arbor Day is April 21, and events may fall on or around that date. There will be other tree plantings on Armstrong Quad to replace trees lost in the January windstorm, says Spruce, and students, faculty, and staff volunteers will be welcome to help. More details are coming in the spring.

Check out this video students and members of the grounds crew put together during a recent cleanup project from the wind storm, promoting the tree care committee and CC’s Tree Campus US status.