The University of Redlands, a private liberal arts university in Southern California, has received the 2017 Tree Campus USA recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals.
The University, which boasts more than 1,700 trees on its beautiful 160-acre main campus, earned the recognition by meeting the Tree Campus USA’s five standards—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.
“Our campus has received the Tree Campus USA designation annually since 2009 and we are very proud to have been one of the first campuses on the west coast to receive it,” said Tony Mueller, director of Community Service Learning. “In a town such as Redlands, where people love trees—Redlands is a designated Tree City USA—it’s particularly gratifying to be acknowledged. This designation is possible because of our Facilities Management Team, our student tree planters, and our Sustainable University of Redlands Farm (SURF) staff.”
To mark this year’s Arbor Day and celebrate the Tree Campus USA recognition, students from nearby Franklin Elementary School joined members of the U of R’s chapter of Dr. Jane Goodall’s “Roots and Shoots” and U of R Community Service Learning staff and students for a planting in the Sustainable University of Redlands Farm (SURF). Three companion trees were planted near the Jane Goodall tree—which Dr. Goodall herself helped to plant during her visit here in 2016—to create a small dwarf citrus garden.
“Students are eager to volunteer in their communities and become better stewards of the environment,” said Matt Harris, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Participating in Tree Campus USA sets a fine example for other colleges and universities while helping to create a healthier planet for us all.”