UNT named Tree Campus USA University for third straight year

From a UNT News Service press release

The Arbor Day Foundation has honored UNT as a 2010 Tree Campus USA University for its dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship. This marks the third year in a row that UNT has earned the designation.

Tree Campus USA is a national program that honors colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy management of their campus forests and for engaging the community in environmental stewardship. Tree Campus USA is a program of the Arbor Day Foundation and is supported by a grant from Toyota.

"By encouraging its students to plant trees and participate in service that will help the environment, the University of North Texas is making a positive impact on its community that will last for decades," says John Rosenow, chief executive and founder of the Arbor Day Foundation. "One goal of the Tree Campus USA program is to help create healthier communities for its citizens through the planting of trees, and the city of Denton will certainly benefit from the university's commitment to Tree Campus USA."

"It is a great honor to continue to be recognized as a Tree Campus USA," says Lanse Fullinwider, UNT's grounds manager. "UNT has a history of strong environmental programs and there is no more visible reminder of that than the abundance of trees throughout the campus. Trees provide innumerable environmental benefits and they bring great distinction to our campus."

UNT met the required five core standards of tree care and community engagement in order to receive Tree Campus USA status. The standards are:

• Establishing a campus tree advisory committee
• Evidence of a campus tree-care plan
• Verification of dedicated annual expenditures on the campus tree-care plan
• Involvement in an Arbor Day observance
• The institution of a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body

The Arbor Day Foundation launched Tree Campus USA in the fall of 2008 by planting trees at nine college campuses throughout the United States.

Buddy Price with UNT News Service can be reached at Buddy.price@unt.edu.

Read other stories in this issue:

• President's Note
• Annual Alumni Awards Dinner to celebrate achievements of alumni and friends
• Moving Forward: UNT opens Design Research Center in Dallas
• Men's basketball team finishes another great season
• Researchers discover process that strengthens plastic
• UNT stage will feature college's top musicians at Denton Arts & Jazz Festival
• Faculty Focus: Angela Nievar
• Traditions: UNT Art Path
• Featured Link: Lost Composers and Theorists Project
• UNT Alumni Association