Students and staff at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and community volunteers will plant trees on Saturday, Nov. 9 to celebrate the University’s status as a Tree Campus USA.
That designation is granted by the Arbor Day Foundation.
University landscapers, sorority members and volunteers from the nonprofit TreesAcadiana will plant about 20 native trees and shrubs on Nov. 9, in two locations along Cajundome Boulevard and Johnston Street.
The trees, which are to be mixed in with existing trees that are already in place, will include an assortment of magnolias, maples and cypress.
“We’re going to plant several varieties in front of Blackham Coliseum, in front of the bike path, to go along with some of the native plants already there,” said Mike Hess, grounds manager at UL Lafayette.
The project is part of the University’s Arbor Day celebration. Arbor Day, the national holiday when people are encouraged to plant trees, typically takes place on the last Friday in April.
Hess said he prefers to plant trees in the fall as part of the University’s Arbor Day celebration, which is the optimal time of year for their development.
“It gives you an increased survival rate. The weather’s cooler and there’s usually a lot of rain, which helps the trees get established. That helps them make it through the summer if there are drought conditions,” he said.
The trees are among about 75 total that will be planted on campus this year, the University’s fourth in a row to be named a Tree Campus USA.
The national Tree Campus USA program, created in 2008, recognizes colleges and universities for sound management of campus trees, fostering community partnerships and enlisting students in conservation projects.
The five standards to become a Tree Campus USA college are:
• establishment of a tree campus advisory committee;
• creation of a campus tree care plan;
• dedication of annual expenditures to the campus tree program;
• celebration of Arbor Day; and
• providing service learning projects for students.
In the Spring of 2010, students, faculty, and staff gathered for the University’s Campus Clean-Up day and planted an additional 43 trees to commemorate UL Lafayette’s designation as a Tree Campus USA member.
Within a year, the University planted over 700 trees on campus and around the city of Lafayette.