MORRISVILLE, NY—As Morrisville State College gears up to celebrate National Arbor Day on April 29, the college has been honored again for its trees.
The college received 2015 Tree Campus USA® recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management.
“Students are eager to volunteer in their communities and become better stewards of the environment,” said Matt Harris, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Participating in Tree Campus USA® sets a fine example for other colleges and universities, while helping to create a healthier planet for us all.”
Tree Campus USA® is a national program created in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation, and sponsored by Toyota, to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and engaging staff and students in conservation goals.
Morrisville State College achieved the title by meeting Tree Campus USA’s five standards, which include maintaining a tree advisory committee and a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and conducting a student service-learning project.
This year, in celebration of National Arbor Day, faculty, staff and students will be planting a tree on campus as well as giving away native tree seedlings and Arbor Day posters.
Tree Campus USA® is a national recognition for what Morrisville State students, faculty and staff have been doing for years, learning about trees as they plant and care for them on the campus and in local communities. The campus also received the prestigious recognition in 2013 and 2014.
Students utilize Morrisville State’s trees for hands-on learning experiences including pruning, climbing, identifying, inventorying, as well as planting.
Members of Morrisville State’s campus tree advisory committee spend months developing a campus tree-care plan which includes policies for planting, care and removal, as well as plans for tree protection and preservation. Future goals include creating a campus-wide arboretum and increasing the biodiversity of trees.
The Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota have helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA® colleges and universities invested more than $26 million in campus forest management last year.
Morrisville State’s curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges 2016 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2016 Best Colleges rankings.