Tech Earns Tree Campus USA Designation

The Arbor Day Foundation has honored Arkansas Tech University with its Tree Campus USA award.

Tree Campus USA is a national program created in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals.

Arkansas Tech 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.

There are 254 colleges and universities across the United States that have achieved the Tree Campus USA recognition.

“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.”

Arkansas Tech began a tree planting program during the 2009-10 academic year. The trees are a continuation of a long-term landscaping beautification program made possible through the generosity of Tech alumni Robert and Sandra Norman of Tulsa, Okla.

As of spring 2016, the Norman family tree project has led to the planting and care of 850 trees on the Arkansas Tech campus in Russellville.