Did you notice that the campus became a little greener last November? That’s when the campus became the new home for nineteen large new trees.

The trees were planted in groups in two locations:

Just north of Crow Creek near the sidewalk leading to the bridge, a small forest of a dozen trees — a tall red maple, brilliant in the fall, standing with eight white pines, two concolor firs, and a large red cedar.

And just north of the Golden Dome Market, at the corner of Granville and Zimmerman, a stand or small grove of seven trees, including blue spruce, Norway spruce, white pines, and a bald cypress.

These beautiful trees are thanks to the vision and foresight of a donor who has taken campus beautification under her wing. “I think all the new trees will fill in what I always perceived to be ‘visual holes’ in the landscape of the university,” she said.

Besides providing beauty and wildlife habitats, trees reduce wind velocities and can greatly reduce soil erosion.

About our new trees

• Concolor – A white fir with beautiful blue green needles, hardy and one of the most adaptable firs.
• White pine – Slender, with a tall straight trunk and greenish-blue needles. The white pine is known as the “Tree of Peace” to the Haudenosaunee native peoples of Canada and symbolized the creation of their League of Five Nations.
• Red maple – An important ornamental tree, fast growing to 100 feet, oval shaped with striking flowers, fruit, and fall foliage. A food source for wildlife.
• Red cedar – Sacred in many cultures, this tree is known as the “tree of life” because of its longevity and constant greenery. Native to North America, it can live up to a thousand years.
• Bald cypress — A stately conifer, hardy and tough, native to the Midwest. Unlike most cone-bearing trees, the bald-cypress loses its needles each winter and grows a new set in spring. It’s noted for the russet-red fall color of its lacy needles.

Photographs by Craig Pearson.