February 14, 2017
St. John's University was honored once again with 2016 Tree Campus USA® recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management.
“Students are eager to volunteer in their communities and become better stewards of the environment,” said Matt Harris, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Participating in Tree Campus USA sets a fine example for other colleges and universities, while helping to create a healthier planet for us all.”
Tree Campus USA is a national program created in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation and to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals. St. John's University 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 project. Currently there are 296 campus across the United States with this recognition.
“I truly appreciate the on-going work of caring for our trees on campus by SJU Associate Professor, Paula Kay Lazrus, Ph.D and her students in Academic Service Learning, and Environmental Science in creating and developing the SJU Tree Inventory, and Herbarium encyclopedia”. To date they have mapped 636 of the 3,000+ campus trees, said Tom Goldsmith, Director of Environmental and Energy Conservation.
The Arbor Day Foundation has helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities invested more than $46.7 million in campus forest management last year. More information about the program is available at arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA.
About the Arbor Day Foundation: The Arbor Day Foundation is a million member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information is available at arborday.org.