Hamilton Receives 2024 Tree Campus Recognition from Arbor Day Foundation

The College will celebrate Arbor Day, April 25, at noon at the Chapel on campus. Two trees will be planted on the south side of the building and a representative from Bartlett Tree Experts will give a short presentation on tree planting. The event is free and open to the public.

To earn Tree Campus recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation, colleges and universities must uphold five core standards including maintain an advisory committee, set a campus tree care plan, verify annual investment in the tree care plan, celebrate Arbor Day, and create a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body.

The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. Its network of more than a million supporters and partners has helped the organization plant more than 500 million trees in forests and communities across more than 60 countries since 1972.

The Tree Campus program recognizes schools, universities, and healthcare facilities that utilize trees to improve their communities.

“Trees have the power to inspire learning and improve well-being,” said Michelle Saulnier, vice president of programs at the Arbor Day Foundation. “By growing campus green spaces, forward-thinking higher education leaders like Hamilton are cultivating vibrant learning communities that also benefit the greater environment.”

According to the Arbor Day Foundation, trees on campus can lower the energy cost of campus facilities by providing shade cover, reducing extreme heat, improving air quality and boosting physical health benefits for students and staff. In addition, trees improve students’ mental and cognitive health, provide an appealing aesthetic for campuses, and create shaded areas for gathering and studying.

The Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus program is operated in partnership with the National Association of State Foresters and support from professional partner Bartlett Tree Experts.