Drake University has been honored with a 2013 Tree Campus USA recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management.
“Drake University has worked hard over the last four years to attain Tree Campus USA status,” says Mark Chambers, director of facility services at Drake University. “This is the third year we have attained that designation and we are certainly proud of what we have accomplished, including the implementation of a location tracking system for each tree as well as a tree replacement program. We’ve been successful thanks to our great partnerships with Drake’s biology department, the Iowa DNR, the City of Des Moines Forestry Department, and the Boys and Girls Club of Des Moines.”
Tree Campus USA is a national program created in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation and sponsored by Toyota. Tree Campus USA honors colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals.
Drake University earned 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 a student service-learning project.
The Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota have helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities invested over $26 million in campus forest management last year.
Visit www.arborday.com/TreeCampusUSA for more information.