Second annual Replant Mount Oread event to add trees near Fraser

LAWRENCE — The second annual Replant Mount Oread event will take place Thursday, April 18, at Fraser Hall at the University of Kansas.

Replant Mount Oread is organized by the Campus Tree Advisory Board to bring together departments, student organizations, community members and alumni to help plant trees and develop a "tree bank" to fund future tree replacements.

Starting at 11 a.m., volunteers from the campus community will plant 11 crabapple trees near the east entrance of Fraser Hall.  The Center for Sustainability is coordinating the project and welcomes volunteers to assist with the tree planting. Individuals can also help support this and future projects by donating to the tree bank online.

At last year’s Replant Mount Oread event, more than 30 volunteers planted 10 redbud trees along Jayhawk Boulevard, just west of Lippincott Hall.

The Campus Tree Advisory Board was established last year as part of ongoing efforts to maintain and enhance the beauty of the campus landscape and preserve historic green spaces. In addition to establishing the campus “tree bank” and Replant Mount Oread, the board’s efforts have resulted in KU being recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree Campus USA.

“We are honored to be recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota as a Tree Campus USA,” said Jeff Severin, Center for Sustainability director and chair of the Campus Tree Advisory Board. “It reflects the hard work of the tree board and KU's commitment to preserving and enhancing our campus landscape through projects like Replant Mount Oread.”

KU achieved the title by meeting Tree Campus USA’s five standards, which include maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures toward trees, an Arbor Day observance and student service-learning projects.

Tree Campus USA is a national program created in 2008 to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals. Toyota helped launch the program and continues its  financial support this year.

The Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota have helped campuses throughout the country plant hundreds of thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities invested $23 million in campus forest management last year. More information about the program is available online.