New trees take root at UND’s annual Arbor Day celebration

Planting ceremony outside Merrifield Hall aligns with UND’s recognition through Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus Higher Education program 

Editor’s note: In the UND LEADS Strategic Plan, the “Affinity” core value includes a call to “promote sustainable practices critical to the long-term health, well-being, and success of the University community.” The following story describes how UND goes to great lengths to encourage one such sustainable practice: the planting, nurturing and celebration of trees on campus, in line with the University’s status as a participant in the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus Higher Education program.

By the time construction wraps along Centennial Drive, the transformation around Merrifield Hall will include more than fresh pavement. Four newly planted trees will bring deep burgundy foliage, bright spring blooms and, eventually, apples to UND’s campus landscape. 

As shovels hit the soil on May 20, campus leaders gathered outside Merrifield Hall to reflect on how trees shape both the physical campus and the community around it. 

Vice President for Finance & Operations Karla Mongeon-Stewart opened the event by comparing root systems to the kind of support network a campus community should offer. 

“This invisible support system is a powerful metaphor for what human connection, and our college campus, should be: a network of mutual care, understanding, and support,” she said.

That idea of stewardship carried into remarks from Director of Facilities Operations Corey Shock, who reminded attendees that many of the trees defining UND’s campus today were planted by people thinking far beyond their own time. 

“The mature elms and evergreens we all walk past on a daily basis are the results of decisions made by many people 50 or even 100 years ago who envisioned the campus as we enjoy now.” 

This year’s planting added four new trees to that legacy. A Royal Red Maple will bring deep burgundy color each fall, while the Goodland Apple, a Manitoba variety dating back to the 1940s, may someday offer fruit. A Mystic Ruby Buckeye promises vivid spring blooms, and the Swedish Columnar Aspen will add height and structure to the campus landscape. 

For UND arborist Jared Johnson, the four trees represent just one piece of a much larger campus plan. Tree selection, he said, is intentional, with diversity playing a key role in maintaining a healthy and resilient canopy. 

“You don’t want what they call a monoculture,” Johnson said. 

An overreliance on a single tree species can leave entire landscapes vulnerable when disease or invasive pests strike. Johnson pointed to the impact of Dutch elm disease and the growing concern over emerald ash borer as examples. 

The annual Arbor Day celebration recognizes the work that happens year-round to maintain UND’s campus canopy, from planting and pruning to long-term planning. That ongoing stewardship has earned UND recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation through its Tree Campus Higher Education program. 

Fulfilling this commitment, Johnson said UND plants as many as 200 trees a year while filling open spaces across campus and intentionally diversifying the canopy. 

With that, Shock addressed the audience with one final reminder. 

“By planting a tree today, you’re keeping a promise for the next generation of the UND community,” he said.

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