University to Plant Cedar of Lebanon April 2 During Arbor Day Observance

OBU will host its annual Arbor Day tree planting event Tuesday, April 2, at 2 p.m., between WMU and Shawnee Hall, near the northwest corner of the Oval on the OBU campus in Shawnee. The University will be planting a Cedar of Lebanon, rich in biblical history.

OBU was recently honored for the second consecutive year with the “Tree Campus USA” recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for the University’s commitment to effective urban forest management. The Tree Campus USA Program honors colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals.

Tree Campus USA is a national program created in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and engaging staff and students in conservation goals. Currently, there are more than 300 colleges across the United States with this recognition.

To obtain this distinction, OBU met the five core standards for effective campus forest management: a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and student service-learning project. The University now has more than 150 varieties of trees on campus.

“We are the only accredited Arboretum in Oklahoma, and are extremely pleased to be recognized as a Tree Campus USA,” said Lisa Hair, groundskeeper II/gardener. “Protecting our campus environment is very important to our grounds crew and also to the administration of OBU. We are delighted to have the support of our University in making this a reality.”

The Arbor Day Foundation is a million-member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. The Arbor Day Foundation has helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities invested more than $46 million in campus forest management last year. More information about the program is available at arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA.