Photo illustration by Juan Villa / The Collegian

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Fresno State̢۪s accreditation as an official arboretum in 1978 by the American Public Gardens Association. That year, a committee was formed on campus called Friends of the Arboretum in an attempt to earn Fresno State the high distinction of being named an arboretum.

An arboretum is “a collection of trees for display or study purposes,â€Â according to Manager of Grounds and Arboretum Ryan McCaughey.

Thirty years later, the Plant Operations department on campus is working harder than ever to keep Fresno State̢۪s reputation as a garden spectacle intact. Plant Operations Director Rick Finden said that keeping the arboretum in top condition reflects what a campus is all about.

“The campus is one of the largest urban green spaces in the region,â€Â Finden said. “Campus grounds are the first thing to make an impression on a visitor.â€Â

Fresno State is the only campus in California with the distinction of being named an arboretum. While other colleges in the state have specific areas on their campuses labeled as arboretums, Fresno State is the only school where the entire campus is an arboretum.

“It’s spacious and open, making it a very inviting and a pleasant setting,â€Â Finden said.

McCaughey is in charge of taking care of all the trees on campus. Since he started working at Fresno State in 2006, he has implemented a new pruning program to keep trees on campus healthy.

“Every five years, the trees are pruned,â€Â McCaughey said. “As trees are removed, we replace them.â€Â

In the last two years, over 600 trees have been planted on campus, while only 60 have been taken out.

Many of those 60 trees were taken out recently due to the current construction happening on Chestnut Avenue and at the Henry Madden Library. However, McCaughey said they will all be replaced as soon as construction is finished.

Plant Operations has made adjustments to keep the trees on campus safe during construction.

“All of the trees on Chestnut Avenue will be re-planted,â€Â McCaughey said. “We have barricaded the trees near the library and took out smaller trees that would be easier to replace. The trees have been monitored throughout the construction period.â€Â

McCaughey doesn̢۪t believe the construction will have much of an impact towards the trees on campus.

“I don’t want to plant a tree just to have it removed 10 years later,â€Â McCaughey said. “We look at the master plan before we decide where we’re going to plant trees.â€Â

The focus for Plant Operations right now is the interior of campus, where the majority of trees and specialty gardens are.

Just outside of the Satellite Student Union and Thomas Administration Building is a collection of maple trees known as Maple Mall, where McCaughey said many new trees have been planted.

Some tulip trees next to Maple Mall have special significance on campus.

“In the middle of campus next to Maple Mall is the Sub Vet Memorial,â€Â McCaughey said. “Those trees are dedicated to all of the submarines lost between World War II and now.â€Â

In the middle of campus in front of the Kennel Bookstore and John Wright Theatre is the Rose Garden, the fountain and several other trees. All of the trees in that area are memorials.

That whole portion of campus is called Memorial Plaza, which was dedicated in 1956.

Fresno State̢۪s campus is set up in a way to accommodate students, according to McCaughey. The campus is labeled as an educational arboretum.

“We group the same kinds of trees in the same location,â€Â McCaughey said. “[The arboretum] provides a unique learning environment because it allows people to see plants and trees that they might not otherwise see in the Valley.â€Â

After 30 years, the arboretum is continuing to expand. As part of Fresno State̢۪s efforts to become more environmentally friendly, students will soon have even more plants to study.

The future plans for McCaughey and Plant Operations is to put in a butterfly garden next to the Joyal Administration Building and to revamp the Peace Garden after the library is finished.

“The arboretum gives the students and community an oasis in the middle of the Valley,â€Â McCaughey said. “They provide shade and beauty to an otherwise barren landscape, especially in the summer.â€Â