Mohawk Valley Community College was honored with 2019 Tree Campus USA® recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management, one of only 385 campuses across the country.

The Tree Campus USA program honors colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals. MVCC achieved 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 student service-learning project. MVCC received funding from the Round 13 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Urban Forestry Grant to fulfill those requirements.

“Tree Campuses and their students set examples for not only their student bodies but the surrounding communities showcasing how trees create a healthier environment,” said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Because of Mohawk Valley Community College's participation, air will be purer, water cleaner, and your students and faculty will be surrounded by the shade and beauty the trees provide.”

“The collaborative effort of tree inventory, mapping, health assessment, care plan development, cost analysis, and finalizing our application was no small feat,” said Lindsey Williams, MVCC Sustainability Council chair and associate professor of environmental science and geology. “It has been a learning opportunity for us and our students, and allows us to showcase the beauty and diversity of our natural surroundings at MVCC.” 

The Arbor Day Foundation has helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities invested more than $51 million in campus forest management last year. This work directly supports the Arbor Day Foundation’s Time for Trees initiative — an unprecedented effort to plant 100 million trees in forests and communities and inspire 5 million tree planters by 2022. Last year, Tree Campus USA schools collectively planted 34,515 trees and engaged 33,432 tree planters — helping them work toward these critical goals.

More information about the program is available at arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA.