UofL boasts more than . The trees represent more than 130 species, including many native to the region. Among them are ash, dogwood, tulip poplar (the Kentucky state tree), oak, persimmon, magnolia and elm, including a rare American elm.Ěý

Tree Campus USA is a national program launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation that honors colleges and universities for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation. UofL was first recognized in 2010 for its tree care plan.Ěý

To obtain this distinction, UofL met the five core standards for an effective campus forest management: 

• Establishment of a tree advisory committee
• Evidence of a campus tree-care plan
• Dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program
• An Arbor Day observance
• Sponsorship of student service learning projects

UofL’s Arbor Day Celebration 2020 is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 23 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at various locations across both the Belknap and HSC campuses. .Ěý

To read UofL’s 12-page tree care plan, .Ěý

The designation means UofL has met or exceeded the foundation’s standards of care for the more than 2,000 trees that cover the 309-acre Belknap Campus.

“This honor represents a decade of dedication to the idea of trees as vital urban infrastructure – for shade and energy savings, food and wildlife habitat, storm water infiltration and soil stabilization, beauty and mental health, and clean air and carbon sequestration. We look forward to an even more leafy campus in the coming decade,” said Justin Mog, assistant to the provost for sustainability initiatives.

The university was first recognized in 2010 for its comprehensive tree-care plan that guides tree selection, planting, maintenance and education. represent more than 130 species, including many native to the region. Among them are ash, dogwood, tulip poplar (the Kentucky state tree), oak, persimmon, magnolia and elm, including a rare American elm. Visitors to Belknap Campus can take that highlights some of these treasures.

The Arbor Day Foundation has helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities invested more than $51 million in campus forest management last year. The nonprofit foundation is a conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees.

To read UofL’s 12-page tree care plan, .

The emerald ash borer, an invasive green beetle from Northeast Asia, has destroyed tens of millions of ash trees since it first appeared in the U.S. in 2002. It threatens to kill most of the 8.7 billion ash trees as it spreads throughout North America.Ěý

But  is taking steps to ensure that the 80-some ash trees on campus are safe for generations to come.

Every two years, Grounds contracts with Limbwalker Tree Service to inoculate ash trees with an insecticide that prevents the ash borer larvae from burrowing into their bark.Ěý

“It’s very effective,” said Greg Schetler, grounds superintendent who oversees campus trees.

Those walking around campus recently may have seen trees marked for treatment with purple ribbons. Limbwalker injects each tree with an IV-like apparatus in the morning, when trees move moisture from roots to leaves.

The university began the bi-annual treatments in 2010, when the beetle first appeared in the region.

“We were a little ahead of the curve,” Schetler said.

Since then, campus has lost a few ash trees from construction and natural death, but none to ash borers.

As stipulated in , Grounds strives to safeguard existing trees and replace ones that die or are removed. There are more than 2,500 trees on the 309-acre Belknap Campus representing more than 130 species, many of them native to the region.

Ash is an important species in this collection, as most are mature trees with large canopies in prominent areas.Ěý 

Treating the trees makes financial sense as well, Schetler said. Once trees are infested, they typically die within three years. Removing that many dead trees on campus would cost tens of thousands of dollars.Ěý

“It’s really something the university should be proud of,” Schetler said. “Our trees are part of the identity of Belknap Campus. People may not know what Belknap has to offer, but you won’t forget it once you’re here. It’s a nice place to be.”

Justin Mog, Assistant to the Provost for , agrees.

“Protecting our native ash trees from this invasive exotic pest is emblematic of why by the Arbor Day Foundation for nine years running,” he said. “After this beetle ravages our forests, UofL may wind up having one of the largest remaining live stands of ash trees in the region. In that sense, we are preserving Kentucky’s natural heritage and cultural heritage as white ash is the wood used to make Louisville Slugger baseball bats.”

Grounds also treats Belknap’s three elm trees, a species devastated by Dutch elm disease in the last century.

And, the university recently was gifted three American chestnut trees that have been cross-bred with Chinese chestnut trees. There’s hope these hybrids will be resistant to the blight that drove American chestnuts into extinction. Before the 1900s, the American chestnut was the predominant tree species in eastern forests. Schetler said he hasn’t decided yet where to put the chestnut saplings on campus.  

“At some point, we’ll likely be one of the few pieces of property that have American elm, American ash and the hybrid American chestnut,” he said.Ěý

Those who would like to learn more about UofL’s trees may pickup a map to take a at the .Ěý

The trees join the more than 2,500 others on Belknap that bring shade, beauty and a sense of solitude and peace to our urban landscape. They are also a vital part of the city of Louisville’s tree canopy.

Earlier this year, the named the University of Louisville a Tree Campus USA for the eighth year. The designation means UofL successfully met five standards aimed at promoting healthy trees and student involvement.

At the Arbor Day celebration, a small group of students along with forestry experts and staff planted a native Shumard oak as well as a sawtooth oak on the lawn in front of University Pointe.

Bridget Abernathy, urban forestry coordinator with the Kentucky Division of Forestry, helped guide the planters, offering tips for digging a hole of the proper shape, height and width. She was especially adamant that the planters avoid the “mulch volcano” often seen in landscaping — mulch piled high against the tree trunk and sloping outward. The mulch should be in a very thin circle around the trunk and slope inward, allowing water to flow toward the tree, she said.

In addition, the UofL Sustainability Council launched its “Arbor Day to Earth Day” to create a fund that would allow to invest the money using socially responsible investing methods, then use the proceeds to fund philanthropic projects. The goal is to raise $5,000, an amount that would then be matched by Just Money Advisors.

For the eighth consecutive year, the Arbor Day Foundation has named UofL a “Tree Campus USA,” a status awarded to colleges and universities that invest in their campus trees.

“Year after year, UofL continues to protect, expand and diversify our campus tree population because we see trees as vital green infrastructure for sustainable urban living,” said Justin Mog, assistant to the provost for sustainability initiatives. “Trees not only beautify our campus, but provide essential shade, windbreaks, wildlife habitat, storm water infiltration, cleaner air, nutrient cycling, mulch and even food.”

Yes, even food. Last winter, UofL students along with university community partner, Dave Barker, a neighbor to UofL’s Shelby Campus, tapped trees on Shelby and Belknap campuses to make syrup. The result was later served atop freshly made pancakes, and the project is continuing this year.

The university first developed a tree care plan in 2010 for more than 2,500 trees on its 309-acre Belknap Campus.

Trees on Belknap campus represent more than 130 species, including many native to the region. Among them are dogwoods, tulip poplars (the Kentucky state tree), oaks, persimmons, magnolias and elms, including a rare American Elm, a species devastated by Dutch Elm disease in the last century.

In 2017, UofL planted 57 trees and lost 30: 20 due to construction projects and 10 because they were dead or dying and posed a safety risk.

The university is planning many public tree events for spring, including a tree giveaway on .

“I look forward to Sustainability Week every year because it’s such a great opportunity to celebrate and share all of the great, but little-known things that are happening to make UofL an even better steward of our environmental, social and economic resources,” said Justin Mog, assistant to the provost for sustainability initiatives.

Mog, who has been in his post since 2009, earlier this year was awarded the city’s , just one of several sustainability highlights from 2017 at UofL.

Others included being named a Tree Campus USA for the seventh year by the Arbor Day Foundation and garnering the highest ranking of any Kentucky college in the Sierra Club’s “Cool School” list at No. 51. Additionally, UofL issued a report, the , that showed the university is close to meeting its first benchmark in its goal of climate neutrality by 2050.

Sustainabilty Week begins Oct. 23 with “Mindful, Meatless Monday” events at various locales to show the links between sustainability and mindfulness practices. Try out Restorative Yoga (1 p.m.) or Yoga Flow (4 p.m.) at the Student Recreation Center. Drop by the Humanities Quad to catch a vegetarian cooking demonstration or learn about “mindful snacking” (2:30-4 p.m.).

Don’t forget that the UofL Free Store is open on Mondays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The store in the basement of Unitas Hall gives away donated items that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

On Tuesday, Oct. 24, get to The Ville Grill from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to try some of the featured locally-sourced or Kentucky Proud food items.

The  is Wednesday, Oct. 25, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the Humanities Quad, featuring booths and information about what UofL and community organizations are doing to advance sustainability.

Thursday, Oct. 26, is the last chance to visit the Market this season and pick up local produce and food items, baked goods, honey, jams and jellies (11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.). Swing by on your bike and get a few tips at a free bike maintenance station hosted by .

On Friday, Oct. 27, come talk about “Global Politics of Climate Change” at the UofL Sustainability Roundtable with speaker , UofL professor of political science. The roundtable is from 11 a.m. to noon in Urban Studies Room 123 (426 W. Bloom St.) In addition, students are encouraged to take advantage of discounted registration fees for the from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage (1701 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd).

Tree planting in Jeffersonville, Indiana, takes place Sat., Oct. 28 (9 a.m., 240 Wall St.) and volunteers are needed. Volunteers are also needed Sun., Oct. 29 at UofL’s compost site in the 200 block of East Bloom Street (one block north of Cardinal Boulevard between Brook and Floyd streets).

More Sustainability Week details .

For the seventh year in a row, UofL was recognized as a Tree Campus USA. The city has also been named as a Tree City USA.

“How do we get that recognition? By paying attention to our trees as vital infrastructure. That means we try to not cut them down when possible, but continue to plant more and continue to maintain and respect our trees,” said Justin Mog, assistant to the Provost for Sustainability Initiatives at UofL. “Anything that helps us improve our environmental, social and economic responsibility, that’s what we’re all about.” 

UofL groundskeepers care for more than 2,500 trees on Belknap’s 309 acres.Ěý

Check out more from UofL’s Arbor Day festivities: