As IU Columbus looks for ways to bring new interest and continued information about Tree Campus Higher Education, this year we were able to do some cool and unique things to bring education about Arbor Day to the campus and community.
We started the 2022 year off in February with the Talking Leaves student literary magazine celebration where we talked about being a Tree Campus. During the event, we showcased some aloud readings of poems written by students, faculty, and staff about trees.
In April, we had our Arbor Day planting where we not only replaced three trees, we also gave out 100 starter white pine trees to the community! White pines are lovely evergreens with graceful habits. The lush, 3- to 5-inch (7.5-12.5 cm.) needles make the tree look soft and attractive. White pine makes a fine specimen tree, but can also serve as a background plant, given its evergreen foliage. These trees grow in a pyramidal Christmas tree shape, with the tiered branches emerging at right angles from the central trunk.
In October, the Biology students held an on campus event where several of our students (as a service-learning project) gave out information about being a Tree Campus Higher Education and what that means, as well as giving information about the trees we have planted on campus for Arbor Day and their locations.
During the Fall semester, we continued with a service-learning project that continued to enter information in our GIS database about our trees and their health! Look for exciting new projects coming in 2023 for more Arbor Day Celebrations!
*The Arbor Day Foundation is committed to planting 500 million trees across our forested landscapes over the next five years.
