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Kent State Earns Tree Campus USA Designation for Ninth Consecutive Year; Ā鶹¹ū¶³; February 14, 2017

Kent State Earns Tree Campus USA Designation for Ninth Consecutive Year


University is rooted in its commitment to tree care

Sixty-eight years ago, the Kent City Council and mayor dubbed Kent, Ohio, the stateā€™s Tree City. This year marks the ninth year Ā鶹¹ū¶³ is being recognized by the Arbor Day Foundationā€™s Tree Campus USA program. 

Created in 2008, the Tree Campus USA program honors colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals. To be recognized by the program, colleges and universities must meet five core standards: a campus tree-advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, annual expenditures for campus trees, service-learning projects aimed at engaging the student body and observing Arbor Day on campus. 

ā€œBeing recognized as part of the Tree Campus USA program is a point of pride for our department and for the university,ā€ said Heather White, Kent State grounds manager. ā€œWeā€™re one of the original schools recognized by the program, and nine years later, itā€™s great to still be in it.ā€ 

With more than 950 contiguous acres across campus, the university is deeply rooted in its commitment to sustain an urban forest landscape. 

Kent Stateā€™s grounds crew works year-round to maintain the standards set by the Arbor Day Foundation, conducting training with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and partnering with the cities of Kent, Stow and Aurora to stay up to date with the latest landscape maintenance trends. 

The universityā€™s Kent Campus is home to a wide variety of plant species, from honey locusts to varieties of oaks and maples. White said the grounds crew stays cognizant of what trees thrive best in an urban setting. 

ā€œCampus is an urban setting, but we are always planting around to try and mitigate the effects of an urban environment,ā€ she said. ā€œAnything thatā€™s green and growing is managed by the grounds department. We work to plant the best trees and the best shrubs, and to mow when and where itā€™s needed. Itā€™s all on us.ā€ 

While the grounds crew hosts two fall and spring planting seasons, the staff maintains trees throughout any weather ā€“ with most pruning and maintenance occurring in the winter months. 

ā€œTrees provide a myriad of benefits to campus,ā€ White said. ā€œThey can mitigate reflected heat. They can soften or dampen noise pollution. The larger trees capture rainwater. Thereā€™s even benefits you canā€™t quantify. They provide a nice atmosphere, they clean our air, and trees enhance health benefits, too.ā€ 

For more information about the Tree Campus USA program, visit ;

For more information about Universities Facilities Managementā€™s grounds department at Kent State, visit www.kent.edu/ufm/grounds. 

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Media Contacts:
Heather White, hwhite1@kent.edu, 330-672-0817
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595

POSTED: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017 - 11:32AM
 
UPDATED: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017 - 3:42PM
 
WRITTEN BY: ERIN ZARANEC

POSTED: Monday, February 20, 2017 11:00 AM
Updated: Thursday, December 8, 2022 08:56 PM