YSU receives ‘Tree Campus USA’ designation for fourth straight year

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

For the fourth consecutive year, the Arbor Day Foundation has named Youngstown State University a Tree Campus USA.

Tree Campus USA is a national program created in 2008 to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals.

To qualify, YSU must meet Tree Campus USA’s five standards. They are: maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures toward trees, an Arbor Day observance, and student service-learning projects.

YSU’s nearly 2,000 trees is comprised of 79 species representing 49 genera and has an estimated value of $2.2 million.

“Managing natural resources on an urban campus is a challenging undertaking,” said Catherine Cala, YSU’s director of development and chairwoman of the university’s Campus Beautification Working Group. “Our grounds department does an excellent job with hard-working, dedicated personnel who treasure our campus landscape. ”

Funding for donor trees is designated to an endowment that helps sustain campus trees and green spaces for the benefit of future generations of students, she said.

YSU students Andrew Boyle, Sarah Perrine and Neil Anthonsen helped distribute fliers to encourage student involvement in the preservation of campus trees.

Perrine, a junior and a member of the Campus Beautification Working Group, is working to establish a “Class Tree Program” in which each graduating class would sponsor the planting of a tree and placement of a plaque that honors their collective success as graduating seniors.

Perrine wants to start this new tradition with the Class of 2014, her graduating class.

“I think it will be neat to come back to campus and visit our class tree,” she said. “We can watch it grow and see how it changes from year to year.”

Tree Campus USA colleges and universities invested $23 million in campus forest management last year. More information about the program is available at www.arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA.