Virginia Tech has been chosen as one of just nine universities in the nation to be a part of the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota’s Campus Tree Tour 2008. (pdf flier)

On Tuesday, October 21, during Sustainability Week, a total of 100 trees will be planted in various locations on Virginia Tech’s campus with the help of volunteers. The tree-planting kick-off event will be held at 10 a.m. near the southeast corner of The Inn at Virginia Tech, Skelton Conference Center and the Holtzman Alumni Center, overlooking the pond.

“The Tree Campus USA program will have a lasting effect at Virginia Tech and throughout the country because it will engage students and local citizens to plants trees and create healthier communities for people to enjoy for generations to come,” said John Rosenow, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation.

Tree Campus USA recognizes the best practices in campus community forestry throughout America. The aim of the program is to honor college campuses and the leaders of their surrounding communities for promoting healthy urban forest management and engaging the campus community in environmental stewardship.

“Trees are a critical component of the Virginia Tech campus,” said Eric Wiseman, chairman of the Virginia Tech Arboretum Committee. “We value their aesthetic and environmental contributions to the community. The Campus Tree Tour is an opportunity to celebrate trees and demonstrate our commitment to a sustainable urban forest.”

Colleges and universities are required to meet five core standards of tree care and community engagement in order to receive Tree Campus USA Status. Those standards are establishing a campus tree advisory committee; evidence of a campus tree care plan; verification of dedicated annual expenditures on the campus tree plan; involvement in an Arbor Day observance; and the institution of a service learning project aimed at engaging the student body.

For more information and how to volunteer at Virginia Tech’s Campus Tree Tour event please contact Matt Gart at gartm@vt.edu. For more information about the Campus Tree Tour 2008 visit http://www.arborday.org/programs/treeCampusUSA/campusTrees.cfm