Matt Weir / The Collegian

Tree Campus USA program honors Fresno State for school̢۪s arboreal achievements

California celebrates Arbor Day this week. While strolling to class, you can enjoy the beauty, clean air and shade provided by the thousands of trees planted throughout campus.

Because of these trees, as well as numerous other plants and flowers, California State University, Fresno has been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation̢۪s Tree Campus USA program.

The foundation recognized 29 campuses across the nation this year, making up the inaugural Tree Campus USA class.

“These schools have made a major commitment to protecting, caring for and adding to their campus forest, and the results of this commitment will have a lasting, positive impact not only on campus but in the overall community,â€Â John Rosenow, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation, said.

Program aims to educate students about trees’ importance

Fresno State is the only one of the 23 California State University campuses to earn the designation. The only other school in California to receive recognition is the University of California, San Diego.

“The Tree Campus USA program will have a lasting impact at Fresno State and throughout the country because it will engage students and local citizens to plant trees and create healthier communities for people to enjoy for generations to come,â€Â Rosenow said.

The Tree Campus USA program is a new national program that honors universities, campus leaders and the surrounding community for promoting healthy urban forest management and engaging the campus community in environmental stewardship.

Rosenow said, “Tree Campus USA will teach students the many benefits trees provide our communities, and the students will leave school and go out and plant trees where they work and live.â€Â

The program recognizes college and university campuses that:

̢ۢ Effectively manage their campus trees.

̢ۢ Develop connectivity with the community beyond campus borders to foster healthy, urban forests.

̢ۢ Strive to engage their student population utilizing service learning opportunities centered on campus, and community, forestry efforts.

Designated arboretum an ‘urban oasis’

Fresno State̢۪s 327 acres are home to about 4,000 trees that represent more than 100 species and thousands of other plants and flowerings.

Because of this wide array, in 1978, the campus was designated an arboretum: a place where extensive varieties of plants are cultivated for scientific, educational, and ornamental purposes.

The person responsible for the care and maintenance of all these living things is Ryan McCaughey, the university̢۪s manager of grounds and arboretum.

McCaughey, who came to Fresno State in 2006, is designated as a certified grounds manager by the Professional Grounds Management Society and a certified arborist by the International Society of Arboriculture.

McCaughey leads a staff of more than 20 people who care for the campus plants, trees, all athletic venues and University House, the president̢۪s residence.

“We take a great deal of pride in our trees and gardens around campus,â€Â he said.

“Living in Fresno, there are not a lot of green areas. We pride ourselves on being an urban oasis.â€Â

McCaughey said he and his team are always expanding their collection to beautify the campus and help the community.

“I can’t control how much people drive and use fossil fuels but every tree that I plant is cleaning up the air in the valley,â€Â he said. “[The award] just shows people that we are committed to that.â€Â

Living lab

McCaughey said students can use the campus as a laboratory.

“The arboretum helps students identify trees and plants that they would not normally see,â€Â he said.

Dr. John Bushoven, an assistant professor who teaches horticulture through the plant science department, uses the campus for exactly that purpose.

“We work closely together to provide a living laboratory for students in all of my horticulture classes,â€Â he said.

“Not a semester goes by when you will not see Dr. Bushoven in his signature hat on one of his many campus excursions with groups of students studying the benefits of the urban forest,â€Â he added.

Bushoven said the campus arboretum provides much needed green space for a diverse array of species. “It benefits our entire community, not just my classes.â€Â