Undeterred by the dreary weather conditions, Valdosta State University celebrated its eighth Arbor Day Foundation Tree Campus USA recognition and steadfast commitment to effective urban forest management during an Arbor Day Ceremony on Thursday.
 
Arbor Day Ceremony guests learned what it takes to achieve the Tree Campus USA designation, including the work behind maintaining VSU’s urban forest and why those efforts are important to the university. They also discovered the health benefits of gardening and how being outside in nature has the potential to make people healthier and happier.
 
“Each year it takes the combined effort and support of the entire campus community and the surrounding City of Valdosta to make sure VSU’s urban forest is preserved and enhanced,” shared Monica Haynes, superintendent of Landscape and Grounds at VSU.
 
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 to engage college and university community members in conservation goals. Collectively these institutions of higher education invested more than $51 million in campus forest management last year.
 
“If ever there was a time for trees, now is that time,” shared Lauren Weyers, program coordinator for the Arbor Day Foundation. “Communities worldwide are facing issues with air quality, water resources, personal health and well-being, and energy use. Valdosta State University is stepping up to do its part … to provide a solution to these global challenges.”
 
"Tree campuses and their students set examples for not only their student bodies but [also] the surrounding communities [by] showcasing how trees create a healthier environment,” said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Because of … [VSU’s] participation air will be purer, water cleaner, and … students and faculty will be surrounded by the shade and beauty the trees provide.”
 
The Arbor Day Foundation is a million-member nonprofit conservation and education organization dedicated to inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.