Public invited to UND Arbor Day program, tree planting set for May 11
Campus arborist: UND’s landscaping department planted around 100 trees in 2020, and plan to plant the same amount this year
The University of North Dakota will hold an Arbor Day program and tree planting at 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 11, on the west side of Hughes Fine Arts Center. Parking will be available at the southeast corner of the Chester Fritz Auditorium parking lot.
Speakers at the program will include UND President Andy Armacost, student body leader Kaelen Reedy, and Mike Pieper, associate vice president for facilities. Five trees will also be planted in the area.
UND has been designated as a Tree Campus Higher Education University by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management. The national program was created in 2008 to honor colleges and universities for effective campus tree management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals.
“Our goal is to plant trees that will have long lives on campus,” said Jared Johnson, UND arborist. “Trees provide shade, improve air quality, and offer a welcoming environment. We are constantly looking at new tree selections to beautify and diversify campus.”
UND’s landscaping department planted around 100 trees in 2020, and plan to plant the same amount this year, Johnson said.
“We want a safe, healthy urban forest to enhance lives on campus and create a beautiful landscape that is welcoming to all,” Johnson said.
As a Tree Campus Higher Education University, UND meets standards that include a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for a campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance, and student service-learning project.
The Arbor Day Foundation has helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities invested more than $29 million in campus forest management last year.
For more information, contact Jared Johnson, UND arborist, jared.o.johnson@und.edu , 701.777.2591.
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