By: Jenna Beresheim News Editor
The Arbor Day Foundation boasts Western Oregon University as one of five Oregon campuses to be declared and certified as a Tree Campus USA award recipient. In order to be awarded, five standards must be met.
These five standards are: a campus tree advisory committee, campus tree care plan, campus tree program with dedicated annual expenditures, Arbor Day observance, and a service learning project. Western’s University Tree Advisory Committee is led by Paul Finke, who started off the ceremony at noon.
The committee gathered together for the Arbor Day observance on April 8 and consisted of staff and students alike. The large group clustered near the north entry to campus and listened as Kristin Ramstad of the Oregon Department of Forestry presented her thoughts on trees on campuses, as well as the poem “When I am among the trees” by Mary Oliver.
From there, Ramstad introduced President Rex Fuller and awarded the campus with the Tree Campus USA award. In commemoration of the event, and Arbor Day 2016, a sugar maple tree was planted by the members of the committee.
Next, the group was led around campus to three specific legacy trees out of the total 11 on campus. At each tree, a student presenter explained which tree it was, the scientific names, and some fun facts such as whether the tree was poisonous or endangered.
First seen was a black walnut tree at the northern entry, which Kylee Wiser, a fifth year biology major, explained had often had it’s bark chewed on by Native Americans wishing to alleve toothaches.
The second tree, a Southern catalpa, was located in the Grove near Ackerman. Phillip Van Ginkle, a fifth year psychology major, explained that although the roots were poisonous, the fruit and leaves were not.
“I can attest to that – I had one in my yard when I was growing up, and I would always taste the seeds. They taste awful, but they’re not poisonous. I would not recommend trying it,” said Ginkle.
The tour ended at a petunia tree behind The Cottage, where light refreshments were served as Kathrine Stender, a third year Horticulture major, spoke about the tree and why the Arbor Day event is so important.
“The use of trees on campus for not only beautification, but learning, shows that their presence is vital to the school,” said Stender.
Contact the author at jberesheim11@wou.edu or on Twitter @woujournalnews
