The Arbor Day Foundation has honored Elmhurst College with 2019 Tree Campus USA® recognition for its commitment to practicing effective urban forest management.
Elmhurst College’s entire 48-acre campus is a registered arboretum that boasts nearly 900 trees and shrubs, including many exotic and rare specimens. The College has regularly received Tree Campus USA® recognition for the last decade.
“Tree Campuses set examples for not only their student bodies but also their surrounding communities, by showcasing how trees create a healthier environment,” said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Because of Elmhurst College’s participation, the air will be purer, the water cleaner and your students and faculty will be surrounded by the shade and beauty that the trees provide.”
The Tree Campus USA program honors colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals. Elmhurst College 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 projects. There are 385 campuses across the United States that have achieved this recognition.
“Our arboretum campus is one of Elmhurst College’s most distinctive and beloved features, and I commend our facilities and grounds staff for their wonderful work—it’s because of them that we earn this recognition year after year,” said Elmhurst College President Troy D. VanAken. “It symbolizes our commitment to maintaining a nurturing, supportive environment for our students and every member of our campus community.”
The Arbor Day Foundation has helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities invested more than $51 million in campus forest management last year. This work directly supports the Arbor Day Foundation’s Time for Trees initiative — an unprecedented effort to plant 100 million trees in forests and communities and inspire 5 million tree planters by 2022. Last year, Tree Campus USA schools collectively planted 34,515 trees and engaged 33,432 tree planters. More information about the program is available at arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA.
