IUPUC has been honored with 2021 Tree Campus Higher Education recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management.
The Arbor Day Foundation is the world’s largest membership nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees. Its Tree Campus Higher Education program began in 2008 to encourage colleges and universities to plant trees on their campuses.
Trees on campus and in urban spaces can lower energy costs by providing shade cover, cleaner air and water, and green spaces for students and faculty. In addition, trees improve students’ mental and cognitive health, provide an appealing aesthetic for campuses, and create shaded areas for studying and gathering.
“Trees not only play a vital role in the environment but also in our daily lives,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Having trees on college and university campuses is a great way to show a commitment to students and faculty’s overall wellbeing.”
The Tree Campus Higher Education program honors colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and engaging staff and students in conservation goals. IUPUC achieved the distinction by meeting Tree Campus Higher Education’s five standards, including 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 393 campuses across the United States with this recognition.
IUPUC plans a tree planting event on April 27 to celebrate Arbor Day. “Students, faculty, and staff will plant two redbud trees which are native to Indiana, participate in rock painting to create a rock garden around one of our more established trees, and we are giving away 100 starter trees throughout the month as part of our Arbor Day community outreach activities. As we move forward, our goal is to achieve a 40% tree canopy for the entire IUPUC campus; currently, we are at about 14% coverage,” said Naomi Cohenour, director of IUPUC’s Office of Administration and Finance, who also manages the sustainability program at IUPUC.
