February 24, 2020
20-22
Jessica Pope
Communications and Media Relations Coordinator
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø Celebrates Urban Forest as a Source of Health, Happiness
Pictured are Matthew Peterson, forester with the Georgia Forestry Commission; Traycee Martin, vice president of Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø's Division of Finance and Administration; and Monica Haynes, superintendent of Landscape and Grounds at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø. |
VALDOSTA — Undeterred by the dreary weather conditions, Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø celebrated its eighth Arbor Day Foundation Tree Campus USA recognition and steadfast commitment to effective urban forest management during an Arbor Day Ceremony on Thursday.
Arbor Day Ceremony guests learned what it takes to achieve the Tree Campus USA designation, including the work behind maintaining Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø’s urban forest and why those efforts are important to the university. They also discovered the health benefits of gardening and how being outside in nature has the potential to make people healthier and happier.
“Each year it takes the combined effort and support of the entire campus community and the surrounding City of Valdosta to make sure Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø’s urban forest is preserved and enhanced,” shared Monica Haynes, superintendent of Landscape and Grounds at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø.
Tree Campus USA is a national program created in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and to engage college and university community members in conservation goals. Collectively these institutions of higher education invested more than $51 million in campus forest management last year.
“If ever there was a time for trees, now is that time,” shared Lauren Weyers, program coordinator for the Arbor Day Foundation. “Communities worldwide are facing issues with air quality, water resources, personal health and well-being, and energy use. Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø is stepping up to do its part … to provide a solution to these global challenges.”
"Tree campuses and their students set examples for not only their student bodies but [also] the surrounding communities [by] showcasing how trees create a healthier environment,” said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Because of … [Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø’s] participation air will be purer, water cleaner, and … students and faculty will be surrounded by the shade and beauty the trees provide.”
The Arbor Day Foundation is a million-member nonprofit conservation and education organization dedicated to inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø’s Department of Landscape and Grounds is committed to providing the campus community with the highest quality service in the areas of horticulture, landscape maintenance, landscape construction, irrigation, and trash compaction. Each grounds maintenance team member takes pride in his or her efforts to maintain the distinctive beauty of the campus and how that supports university-wide recruitment and retention efforts.
On the Web:
/administration/finance-admin/plant-ops/welcome.php
/administration/finance-admin/campus-wellness/
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