The Arbor Day Foundation has once again recognized the University of North Texas as a Tree Campus USA School for its dedication to campus forestry and tree maintenance.
UNT has received this recognition every year since the program’s founding in 2008 through the most recent recognition for the 2019 calendar year.
Tree Campus USA is a national program that recognizes two- and four-year institutions for promoting impressive forestry and arborist management at their campus.
To observe Texas Arbor Day 2019, which is always the first Friday in November, the Grounds team conducted a campus tree walk for students, faculty, and staff, led by the grounds management team. Texas Arbor Day is celebrated in November as it is a better time of year to plant young trees in Texas than national Arbor Day in April, said Kelly Frailey, who oversees UNT’s tree maintenance program.
“Being recognized every year since the founding of this program is an honor,” said Frailey. “We take our tree management seriously and even more so with a legacy of over a decade of winning this recognition. UNT has a reputation for sustainability that students and our community take to heart.”
To be considered for this recognition, a campus must meet Tree Campus USA’s five 5 pillars of program management: have a Tree Advisory Committee, a Campus Tree Care Plan, annual expenditures dedicated to tree planting and maintenance, observe Arbor Day and encourage the Service Learning Project. UNT Facilities has a small committee that consists of faculty, staff, and community members.
“The tree canopy not only creates a beautiful environment for student learning and living but also provides a wonderful workplace for faculty and staff. Perhaps more importantly, our trees provide a fantastic environment for wildlife and help improve air quality,” said Grounds Manager Erik Trevino. “We’ve even been honored to be part of academic research by professor Dr. Alexandra Ponette on the effect of different tree varieties to filter air pollutants. That’s a pretty rewarding side-benefit of our job to care for UNT’s trees.”
###
For updates about construction on campus and UNT Facilities events, follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
If you need maintenance assistance, please contact us at 940-565-2700 or