CSU Community Plant 12 Trees in Celebration of Arbor Day

Colorado State University students, employees, and members of the Fort Collins community came together for the annual Tree Campus Arbor Day Event on Friday, April 22.

This event was in conjunction with CSU’s Earth Month, and involved planting 12 trees of multiple species on the University’s South Campus.

“It’s a fun time to celebrate the benefits of trees and the best way to do that is to actually plant the trees ourselves,” said Greg Zausen, a forester with the Colorado State Forest Service.

Last year’s event was largely virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this year it was now back in person. Speakers discussed the benefits of tree diversity and offered a brief tutorial on how to properly plant trees before the public got the opportunity to get their hands dirty and try it themselves.

Four types of trees were planted during the event: Morton State Street maple, autumn brilliance serviceberry, Clemson heritage oak, and China snow Peking lilac.

“It’s a neat thing that CSU is pursuing this and is interested in promoting a good tree canopy on their campuses,” Zausen said. “We know if you just plant a single species of trees, then an insect can come through and destroy all of your hard work. That’s why we’re promoting diversity.”

These new trees joined the 10,000 others that make up the CSU Campus Arboretum, a special place for the cultivation and display of a wide variety of trees and shrubs.

CSU’s urban forest has earned a Tree Campus Higher Education recognition from the Arbor Foundation for the 11th straight year.

The University is one of 150 colleges and universities across the country recognized by the program and requires CSU to meet the five Tree Campus Higher Education standards.

To celebrate the impressive flora at CSU, the Campus Arboretum Committee recently launched a Campus Tree Tour of 15 notable trees.

To learn more about the CSU Campus Arboretum, visit fm.colostate.edu/arboretum.