10 Trees for 10 Years of TCU Recognition
For the 10th consecutive year, Texas Christian University has been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree Campus. In honor of that, more trees will be added to the approximately 3,000 campus specimens.
“The TCU grounds team schedules tree plantings each year for Texas Arbor Day in November and National Arbor Day in April,” said Erik Trevino, director of TCU landscaping and grounds. “This year, for National Arbor Day, the TCU grounds crew is planting 10 new trees on campus to commemorate our 10 years of Tree Campus recognition.”
An April planting event outside Robert Carr Chapel celebrated the occasion, but trees are being planted throughout TCU’s 300 acres. From red oaks to live oaks and even Japanese maples, they will span from Worth Hills to the Sid Richardson Building and from the athletics complex to Jarvis Hall.
“We are meticulous in considering where we plant new trees,” Trevino said. “We consider areas where we have recently lost a tree, areas where we could benefit from more shade, places where trees will not interfere with buildings or power lines, and places where there is sufficient sunlight and room to grow.
“We choose trees that will thrive best for many years in their location.”
The Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus designation requires five standards:
- Establish a campus tree advisory committee
- Establish a campus tree care plan
- Demonstrate dedicated campus tree care expenditures
- Observe Arbor Day
- Lead campus service-learning projects
“TCU easily meets this criteria every year, as our grounds team puts a great emphasis on caring for campus trees,” Trevino said. “Our Tree Campus USA recognition is often a brag point for TCU leadership when promoting the beauty of our campus.”
TCU is, after all, ranked one of the nation’s most beautiful campuses by U.S. News & World Report.
“The magnificent oak trees lining University Drive are among my favorite features of campus. Their beauty and age, along with the generations of Horned Frogs they’ve sheltered, give them an especially rich history,” Chancellor Daniel W. Pullin said. “We are deeply grateful to our campus landscaping and grounds team for the care and dedication they pour into stewarding our trees.”
