What is Tree Campus?
The Tree Campus USA program honors colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals. West Virginia University achieved the title by meeting Tree Campus USA’s five standards, which include maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and student service-learning project. Currently there are 402 campuses across the United States with this recognition.
Tree Campus Activities
2022- 2022 Arbor Day ceremony included a planting of a bur oak to provide canopy shade in the future to an open area.
- Tree Inventory and database was updated and improved in Fall 2022.
- Planted specific species of trees that WVU has very few of, including Yellowwood trees and Blue Atlas Cedars.
- Outplanted healthy saplings from rain gardens to other areas, including WVU's Falling Run Greenspace, a trail system in development planted in a clear-cut area that is being rehabilitated.
- Held two lumber sales in summer and fall that provided re-use avenues for removed trees and educated buyers on why some trees must be removed.
2021
- Arbor Day in-person ceremonies returned in 2021 with the planting of a dawn redwood outside of Colson Hall.
- Arborist pruned 184 trees, removed 27 trees, and planted 52 other trees.
- Among the 52 new trees planted this year WVU introduced several new tree species such as a sequoia tree. WVU planted 15 trees purchased through a grant and increased willow tree population offering a new variety to campus.
- Replaced the E. Moore Sycamore in a similar location with a London Plane tree.
2020
- Arbor Day.
- Planted 100 saplings in rain gardens in April 2020. Some will stay in rain gardens permanently, while others will be transplanted when larger.
- Planted 11 in Fall 2020 through a second round of the grant.
2019
- Arbor Day.
- Planted 200 saplings in rain gardens on campus in Spring 2019.
- Planted 40 trees on campus in Fall 2019 with a grant from the WV Division of Forestry.
- Celebrated 200th birthday of the E. Moore Hall sycamore in November 2019.
- Planted more trees than were removed in 2019-- removed 41, but planted 51.
2018
- First time celebrating Arbor Day on campus in 2017 and continued in 2018.
- Completed a tree inventory of campus trees in landscaped areas in Spring 2018.
2017
- The Tree Campus Committee was formed.
WVU Tree Care Plan
Goals:
- Increase and maintain diversity of tree species
- Develop preferred species list
- Develop ‘do not plant’ list
- Choose some species based on their potential for incorporation into the student curriculum
- Maintain and improve canopy cover in landscaped areas
- Develop tree replacement recommendations
- Support WVU urban forestry
- Evaluate the need for updating equipment
- Establish volunteer tree work with student organizations
- Monitor and maintain trees in rain gardens
- Maintain tree inventory database
- Use the database to monitor tree health
- Educate the campus community on the importance and value of trees
- Keep stakeholders from negatively impacting trees
- Prepare people for when declining tree health necessitates removal of historic trees
Tree Inventory and Facts
Click HERE to interact with WVU's tree inventory. This inventory is used to track maintenance and care of campus trees and for education and research in WVU curriculum.
The landscaped areas of the Morgantown campus contain a total of over 2,300 trees.
Over 15% of campus trees are Honey Locusts.