April 29, 2019 — CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI)’s dedication to planting and maintaining the trees shading the campus streets, sidewalks and buildings has earned the University a Tree Campus USA designation for the seventh year in a row.
Tree Campus USA is a designation from the Arbor Day Foundation for universities and colleges that meet five core standards for effective campus forest management: the campus must have a tree advisory committee; a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual funding for the campus tree program; and an Arbor Day observance and a student service-learning program.
“We prioritize sustainability on campus,” said Sustainability and Operations Analyst Lisa Noriega. “We make it a top priority to continue to uphold our position as one of the most sustainable campuses in the CSU system.”
The CSUCI campus boasts hundreds of different species of trees, most of them native to the area, which helps resist invasive plants and provides shelter and a measure of safety to the land and its inhabitants.
“These are native to our biome, which is something in favor of our getting recertified as a Tree Campus. Animals are able to thrive with more native trees, and they allow the campus to sequester an amazing amount of carbon dioxide,” Noriega said, describing a process in which carbon dioxide is stored with the trees, slowing its release into the air.
Grounds Manager Jason Hughes and his landscape crew operate a three-year rotating tree maintenance plan for the trees on campus, University Glen and some of the surrounding area, —a total of 1,100 acres.
“We divide the campus into sections,” Hughes said. “Every year there are a certain number of trees that get trimmed. We check for disease and make sure the trees are healthy. We determine if they are at the end of their life expectancy or are hazardous and need to be taken out.
Hughes estimates about 40 percent of the campus is shaded with trees, which helps cut down on water usage. The recent designation is actually for the year 2018, when students helped plant 23 pepper trees in the Central Mall section of the campus during Earth Week. Already looking toward 2019, students and Ground Services staff planted 25 California Western Redbud trees along the A-3 parking lot just off University Drive on April 23 in honor of Arbor Day, which was April 26.
For the seventh time, CSUCI facilities team members were able to place another Tree Campus USA decal on a plaque honoring CSUCI’s contribution to a healthier planet.
For more on Tree Campus USA: https://www.arborday.org/programs/treecampususa/.