Happy Arbor Day, UIC!

Friday, April 30th is Arbor Day in Illinois and to celebrate, I want to tell you of UIC’s tree accomplishments. We have been recognized, once again, as a Tree Campus Higher Education institution for our efforts in 2020. We put a lot of work into our urban forestry management, and we are glad that the Arbor Day Foundation recognizes our efforts. Please check out the article, “UIC earns Tree Campus Higher Education Recognition” in UIC Today to learn more about how we achieved this recognition, including the extra care we gave to the 24 mature Honey locusts trees at Arthington Mall that also make the area more resilient. This email will help us achieve the “Arbor Day Observance” requirement for 2021.

For the first time since the initial tree inventories began in 2015, we have a campus wide inventory and a health assessment of every single tree on campus, conducted by Bartlett Tree Experts.  The data collected from the tree inventory will be used to maintain a healthy tree canopy and help in long term planning. Having current data for each tree specimen will help ensure we properly invest in the reforestation and ongoing maintenance of our urban forest.

Did you know that there are 3,678 trees on campus? The most common species of tree you will find at UIC is the Thornless honey locust, representing 18% of the total inventory. Our trees cover 33.7 acres of campus and help sequester over 23 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere – each year! Read more about the benefits our trees provide in the infographic, “UIC Urban Forest Effects & Values.”

Get personal with our tree inventory by taking our tree personality quiz! Sustainability Internship Program students developed this short quiz to match you with your “spirit tree” on campus. I’m a Colorado Blue Spruce, what tree are you?

If you are interested in getting involved, I encourage you to join UIC’s Tree Care Committee via the Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy’s Grounds subcommittee and help spread the word about our fantastic urban forest! Visit go.uic.edu/trees to learn more.