For four consecutive years, ISU has earned the title “Tree Campus USA” and is celebrating all of the hard work that has been put forth in order to obtain the honor.

Faculty, staff and students are now able to recognize the work of ISU arborists to make the Quad and campus a beautiful place to be.

Tree Campus USA is a program that recognizes a variety of colleges and arborists nationwide for promoting a diverse campus forest, engaging the community in environmental stewardship and promoting environmental awareness.

The program is a part of the Arbor Day Foundation and is supported by a variety of private donors.

 “Receiving this title is a huge honor for us,” Heather Wilcox, ISU arborist, said.

“As a department, we all care a lot about our commitment to urban forestry and work year-long to maintain our trees,” Wilcox said.

Each year, all 12 members of the arborist committee collaboratively work together to apply for the position and work diligently to prepare ISU for the entire application process.

Ashley Koenig/ Photographer: “Receiving this title is a huge honor for us,” ISU arborist Heather Wilcox said about ISU earning the title Tree Campus USA.

“It really takes a lot of work and is a serious commitment in order to prepare for all that is necessary to obtain the award,” Wilcox said.

The nationally-recognized status comes without a monetary award but means more than money can buy for all 12 arborists on the team.

In order to receive the title, ISU was required to meet the five core standards of tree care and community engagement in order to receive the title of Tree Campus USA.

“We do almost all five standards anyways and hold ourselves to that so it makes the beginning of the process attainable,” Wilcox said.

The five standards necessary are to establish a campus tree advisory committee, offer evidence of a campus tree-care plan, give verification of dedicated annual expenditures on the campus tree-care plan, provide involvement in an Arbor Day and institute a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body.

Each year, ISU plans events to promote Arbor Day and raise awareness and involvement throughout the ISU campus, which contributes to the fourth standard that is required to be awarded.

In a press release, Mary Widhelm of the Arbor Day Foundation said, “ISU’s entire campus community should be proud of this sustained commitment to environmental stewardship.”

The Arbor Day Foundation launched Tree Campus USA in the fall of 2008 in its efforts of planting trees at college campuses throughout the U.S.

ISU integrates the five standards necessary to obtain Tree Campus USA within its regular care of its trees and plans to continue its care of trees to a high level of expectation, Wilcox said.

For more information about the Tree Campus USA program, visit its website at www.arborday.org/treecampususa.