Xavier recognized as ‘Tree Campus’ by Arbor Day Foundation

Apr 29, 2022

Xavier University recently earned the designation as an official “Tree Campus,” a program that recognizes green colleges and universities.

Established in 2008, the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus Higher Education program offers a framework to help institutions grow their community forests, achieve national recognition, and create a campus their students and staff are proud of. The program officially recognized Xavier at an awards ceremony on Friday, April 22.

Xavier’s efforts toward becoming a Tree Campus began in late 2020 when School of Education Director Kathy Winterman, EdD, reached out to the University’s Physical Plant department about the Arbor Day Foundation’s program. Afterward, a small committee formed and has been working on the project ever since.

Horticultural Specialist Karen McCabe, a key member of the project, represented the University at the Arbor Day Foundation’s awards program and received a plaque recognizing Xavier’s status as a Tree Campus.

“We decided to apply to Tree Campus Higher Education to provide the University with a commitment of planting and caring for trees,” McCabe said. “Our hope is this program engages the Xavier community in recognizing the importance of trees on our campus and how they serve as a benefit to all who visit our campus.”

Engaging the community includes not only college students, but also those at the University’s Montessori Lab School. Today, several Musketeers gathered near the Montessori’s playscape to plant a tree, part of Xavier’s Arbor Day observance.

The University had to meet several standards to become a Tree Campus, including the implementation of service learning project to educate the campus community. To that end, committee members in late 2021 began placing informative tags on trees all over campus, with each tag carrying a unique dollar amount. These tags told the story of the unique environmental benefits each tree will contribute throughout the next decade, including carbon-dioxide reduction and electricity savings.

In the years ahead, Xavier will continue expanding efforts to educate about, advocate for, and celebrate trees. For example, an ongoing project is the development of a tree database and an interactive map showing the species, size and location of every tree on campus.

Additional high-level goals include increasing the percentage of campus covered by tree canopy and expanding the diversity of tree species found at Xavier.

David Hamilton
Public Relations and Communications Specialist
Xavier Office of Marketing and Communications