Facilities Management employees and volunteers plant a tree during the 2017 Arbor Day event at CSU.
Colorado State University students, employees and members of the Fort Collins community will come together once again for the annual Tree Campus Arbor Day Event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, April 22.
This event is in conjunction with CSU’s Earth Month, and will involve planting 12 trees of multiple species on the University’s South Campus.
“It’s a fun time to celebrate the benefits of trees, and the best way to do that is to actually plant some trees ourselves,” said Greg Zausen, a forester with the Colorado State Forest Service.
Last year’s event was largely virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s now back in person. Speakers will discuss the benefits of tree diversity and offer a brief tutorial on how to properly plant trees before the public gets the opportunity to get their hands dirty and try it themselves.
How to attend the Tree Campus Arbor Day event
Where: Diagnostic Medicine Center – northwest entry, on the CSU South Campus near the Veterinary Teaching Hospital
When: April 22, 2022, from 11 a.m. -1 p.m.
Who: All are welcome with no experience necessary.
Why: These plantings are in celebration of Arbor Day and the Campus Arboretum
Contact Julia Innes for more information about the event: Julia.Innes@colostate.edu
Four types of trees will be planted during the event: Morton State Street maple, autumn brilliance serviceberry, Clemson heritage oak and China snow peking lilac.
“It’s a neat thing that CSU is pursuing this and is interested in promoting a good tree canopy on their campuses,” Zausen said. “We know if you just plant a single species of trees, then an insect can come through and destroy all of your hard work. That’s why we’re promoting diversity.”
These new trees will join the 10,000 others that make up the CSU Campus Arboretum, a special place for the cultivation and display of a wide variety of trees and shrubs.
CSU’s urban forest has earned a Tree Campus Higher Education recognition from the Arbor Foundation for the 11th straight year.
The University is one of 150 colleges and universities across the country recognized by the program, and requires CSU to meet the five Tree Campus Higher Education standards.
To celebrate the impressive flora at CSU, the Campus Arboretum Committee recently launched a Campus Tree Tour of 15 notable trees.
To learn more about the CSU Campus Arboretum, visit: https://www.fm.colostate.edu/arboretum
