UAA named a 2009 Tree Campus USA University by the Arbor Day Foundation

The Arbor Day Foundation named the University of Alaska Anchorage a 2009 Tree Campus USA University for its dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship. UAA is the first college or university in the state of Alaska to receive this honor.

"The Tree Campus USA program will have a long-lasting impact at the University of Alaska Anchorage as it engages college students and local citizens to plant trees and create healthier communities for people to enjoy for decades to come," said John Rosenow, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. "Alaska Anchorage will benefit from exceptional tree-care practices on campus as it works with tree-care professionals in the community to improve the tree canopy in Anchorage."

Tree Campus USA, a national program launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation, honors college and universities and the leaders of the campus and surrounding communities for promoting healthy urban forest management and engaging the campus community in environmental stewardship. Tree Campus USA is supported by a grant from Toyota.

UAA met the required five core standards of tree care and community engagement in order to receive Tree Campus USA status. Those standards are establishing a campus tree advisory committee; evidence of a campus tree-care plan; verification of dedicated annual expenditures on the campus tree-care plan; involvement in an Arbor Day observance; and the institution of a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body.

More information about the Tree Campus USA program is available at www.arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA.