Montana State University will host a community tree planting event on campus in recognition of its fourth consecutive year as a designated Tree Campus USA.
Designation as an official Tree Campus USA recognizes colleges and universities across the nation for their commitment to effective campus forest management and for engaging faculty, staff and students in conservation goals, according to the National Arbor Day Foundation, which sponsors the program.
This year’s celebration will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21. Participants, including interested community members, should meet in the area along Mandeville Creek, between theRoskie and Yellowstone residence halls.
In the past, MSU has celebrated this designation in the spring, in conjunction with Arbor Day. This year, however, the event was deferred to fall to help celebrate the recent opening of the new Yellowstone Hall, MSU’s newest residence hall. The plantings are intended to enhance the new backyard area created by the hall’s construction, according to E.J. Hook, environmental services manager at MSU.
“We are especially excited about involving students in enhancing their own environment here at MSU,” said Hook. “We hope that through their active participation in the event, students will garner respect for the trees they have planted and look forward to the day when their own children can sit in the shade that they helped create.”
For more information, contact Hook at (406) 994-7840, (406) 599-7601 (cell) or edward.hook1@montana.edu.
