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Project Updates for Tree Campus Higher Education

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  5. 2020 Tree Campus Higher Education Application Approved

    Associated Project(s): 
    Tree Campus Higher Education

    As of February 22nd, 2021, UIUC earned the 2020 Tree Campus Higher Education recognition!

    The following summarized message was sent on behalf of the Arbor Day Foundation program:

    Dear Tree Campus Higher Education contact, 

    Congratulations to your campus for earning 2020 Tree Campus Higher Education recognition. Tree Campus Higher Education, an Arbor Day Foundation program, honors colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation.

    To obtain this distinction, your campus has met the five core standards for sustainable campus forestry required by Tree Campus Higher Education, including establishment of a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for your campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance (which was optional in 2020 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic) and the sponsorship of student service learning projects. Your entire campus community should be proud of this sustained commitment to environmental stewardship.

    If there was a time for trees, now is that time. Your diligence in improving the environment and quality of life at your school contributes to a healthier, more sustainable world for us all.

  6. Campus Tree Advisory Committee: February 2021 meeting notes

    Associated Project(s): 
    Tree Campus Higher Education

    Attached are the notes from the February general meeting of the Campus Tree Advisory Committee. 

    Topics discussed included a suscessful submission of our 2020 tree care plan, the trees on campus that are potental award winners for their size, and planning for this year's Arbor Day celebrations. 

    Attached Files: 

  8. 2020 Tree Care Plan submitted to Tree Campus USA

    Associated Project(s): 
    Tree Campus Higher Education

    Please see the attached to file to find the University's 2020 Tree Care Plan.

    The University’s plan included progress made over the last year to make our campus more tree friendly, along with outlining the landscape standards we have on campus. Highlights of projects related to trees are also included.  The committee submitted this document at the end of the year to Tree Campus USA as to fulfill one of many commitments to be a recognized Tree Campus. 

    Attached Files: 

  9. Trees Promote Health and Wellness

    Associated Project(s): 
    Tree Campus Higher Education
    Resilience Commitment

    In the January 2021 Newsletter, the City of Urbana discussed the health and wellness benefits of trees, as well as its plans to promote tree planting throughout the city:

    Trees affect our health and wellness. Humans breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, whereas trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. With a mutually beneficial relationship, one large tree can supply enough oxygen for four people. This is really wonderful, however, it takes around five trees to absorb the CO2 produced by just one person.

    Additionally, trees also trap air pollution. This greatly affects our health. Trees also help to clean water by acting as a natural filter. Plus, trees decrease stress for us and improve recovery time from illnesses. These are a few of the reasons Urbana's Urban Canopy is tantamount to human life, health, and progress. Trees are always working to keep us healthy and strong – help us do the same for them! *

    We’re asking you to partner with the City of Urbana — on an individual basis or through your neighborhood association, service organization, business or church — by sharing the cost of new trees through our Co-op Tree Planting Program.

    The City of Urbana Arbor Division will be adding to Urbana's Urban Canopy this coming Spring, 2021. These are made possible by the generous donations through the Co-op Tree Planting Program. 

    "If all goes well this will be good for roughly 40-45 vacant tree planting sites throughout town. These site will be planted with Urbana Heritage species and mostly native species to Illinois. I will be selecting these sites during January for spring planting order," Kevin Sanderson, Arborist and Urbana Arbor Division Supervisor, said.
     

  10. Updated list of needed student projects

    Associated Project(s): 
    Independent Student Projects
    Tree Campus Higher Education
    Champaign County Sustainability Network (CCNet) [ARCHIVED]

    This is a list of projects that need students to work on.  It will be updated periodically by sustainability staff members, the last update was 1/2/21:

    • Tree Canopy Analysis: Work with F&S staff to complete a GIS analysis of the university's tree canopy, in support of the Tree Campus USA designation. This will include comparison to peer institutions and a presentation of the results and methodology to the Tree Campus Advisory Committee. Depending on time availability, it can also include an analysis of the local tree canopy, off campus. Contact Morgan White at mbwhite at illinois.edu.
    • CCNet Website: Work with the Champaign County Sustainability Network (CCNet) leadership team to redesign and publish the CCNet website (old version is online at http://www.champaigncountynet.org/). There is a monthly brown bag sustainability networking event on the Third Thursday of each month, but the website hasn't been updated since 2016. Contact Morgan White at mbwhite at illinois.edu.
    • If you have a project idea, please contact us at sustainability@illinois.edu, or submit it through the iCAP Portal Suggestions page.

  13. Article: Preservation of Century-Old Trees Near Siebel Center

    Associated Project(s): 
    Tree Campus Higher Education

    Julie Wurth, iSEE Communications Specialist, released an article highlighting the preservation of century-old trees during the construction of the new Siebel Center for Design. These trees are rooted in the university's early history and serve as "remnants of a windbreak that protected a vast experimental orchard planted there in the late 19th century by botanist Thomas Jonathan Burrill, a pioneer in plant pathology and the third University of Illinois President (1891-94)."

    Read the article as a PDF in the attachments or proceed to its posting in iSEE's News Releases!

    Attached Files: 

  14. Master Naturalist Native Tree and Shrub Sale

    Associated Project(s): 
    Tree Campus Higher Education

    Interested in expanding the use of native flora in your yard or garden? East Central Illinois Master Naturalists (ECIMN) is hosting a native tree and shrub sale. Our soil and climate have tested these plants for 8,000 years, it's a good bet they will work for you! The way it works is that you have August 1 - September 28 to research, plan, order, and pay for your selection of native trees and/or shrubs and we will have them available for pick up in October when it is the perfect time for planting. 

    https://extension.illinois.edu/news-releases/master-naturalist-native-tree-and-shrub-sale

    https://my.aces.illinois.edu/buy/index.asp?tab=3

     

  16. Tree Campus USA Celebration - Zoom Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Tree Campus Higher Education
    Champaign County Sustainability Network (CCNet) [ARCHIVED]
    Campus Tree Inventory
    Carbon Credit Purchasing Program (C2P2) with Second Nature

    Thank you to everyone who joined us live or watches later on the CCNet Facebook page!  We enjoyed a great turnout for the Tree Campus USA Celebration, with about 35 people on the Zoom call and a reach of 365 on Facebook.

    This event included a review of the five years that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been designated as a Tree Campus USA, by Brent Lewis. Senior in Integrative Biology student, Maddie Smith, presented the results of her diversity analysis for the campus' urban forest, and the F&S Tree Surgeons, Dustin Reifsteck and Sky Drewes, answered tree-related questions.  At the end of the hour, community announcements included Arbor Day and Earth Month events coming up.

    Celebrate National Arbor Day next week on April 24, 2020!

    Links from announcements and presentation

    The event concluded with a round of thanks, and several were captured in the chat log.

    12:56:43     From  Eliana Brown : Thank you to the Grounds Dept!
    12:58:28     From  Samantha Fisher : Thank you for this presentation! I really enjoy your monthly presentations.
    13:00:02     From  Stacy Gloss : Thanks CCNET for a great presentation today. Awesome collaborative effort.  Everyone have a great day!
    13:00:33     From  ekamarah : Thank you everyone for these interesting presentations and conversations. Have a great day.
    13:00:37     From  Brent Lewis : Yes, thank you everyone!
    13:00:49     From  Eliana Brown : Thank you, everyone! Great job!
    13:01:08     From  pattsi : Stay well everyone
    13:01:12     From  Marya Ryan : Yes, great presentations! So glad to reconnect with CCNet after a few years away.
    13:01:24     From  Miranda Vieson : Thanks!
    13:01:25     From  Marcus Ricci : It was a great presentation, with all of the different presenters nicely tying in to the theme. The Q&A was cool.
    13:01:26     From  Jenna Kurtzweil : Thanks, everyone!!
    13:01:26     From  Kate Gardiner : Love CCNet, thanks Morgan!

    Attached Files: 

  20. Arbor Day Celebration to be alternate format

    Associated Project(s): 
    Tree Campus Higher Education

    Hello Tree Campus USA Committee,

    Thanks to those of us who were able to join the web-call this morning.  Here are brief notes about our discussion and next steps:

    • I shared that the Arbor Day Foundation has removed the requirement for a proclamation and celebration this year.  We discussed options and decided to still do something online for Arbor Day.
      • Andrew is going to talk with Mike Brunk about the process he had gone through for the proclamation, and let us know if he thinks we should proceed this time with trying to get a proclamation signed by the mayors and chancellor.
      • I am going to take the lead on identifying something that we can do online this spring.  Please send me any suggestions you have. Here are some we discussed this morning:
        • Jay suggested an infographic
        • Meredith suggested a connection to the Earth Month Bingo event that iSEE is hosting
        • I suggested sharing information about how to plant a tree
        • Kevin suggested including information about how to trim trees for private property
        • The Arbor Day Foundation sent the note below after our call, and they intend to provide some resources for ideas
    • Kevin and Ryan shared that their staff are not at work now, with the exception of a few employees watching the trees for safety purposes.

    Our next group meeting is April 27 at 9am, but we will be in touch during the next few weeks to finalize plans for April 24th.

    Thank you,
    Morgan

    Message from the Arbor Day Foundation: http://adestra.arborday.org/q/120OBVMvRZTmL6qMkonn/wv

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