Having a healthy, diverse urban forest on campus can provide many benefits to students, staff, and the ecosystem. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, trees also scrub the air of pollutants, slow the release of stormwater runoff into the watershed, filter stormwater, provide oxygen, reduce energy costs, provide shade, and offer habitat and food for wildlife. Trees on university campuses are particularly valuable due to their therapeutic effects on attentional capacity. In fact, many studies have shown that students “are happier, experience significantly greater well-being, and show significantly lower mental distress when they live [and study] in areas with greater amounts of green space” (Wolf, K.L., et al. Outside Our Doors, The Nature Conservancy, 2016).

The key to maintaining a sustainable and healthy urban forest on campus is species and age diversity, proper tree maintenance, risk management, and faculty support, which can be accomplished with this tree maintenance plan. The information in this plan is provided to guide future maintenance and management and to better plan for the health and longevity of the University’s urban forest. By monitoring the urban forest for potential risks such as pests/disease, climate change, storms, compacted soils, construction damage, vandalism, improper pruning, etc., the University can maintain and enhance the many benefits that trees provide on campus.

Fill out the form to access the full Urban Tree Canopy Assessment