USC Aiken recognized by Tree Campus Higher Education for commitment to tree care and student service engagement

USC Aiken received Tree Campus Higher Education recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation.

Tree Campus Higher Education was formed in 2008 and serves as a way to help create and nurture healthy, beautiful campuses to benefit the environment as well as students.

In order to receive this recognition, a campus must observe Arbor Day, create a service-learning project geared toward student body engagement and have a campus tree care plan as well as a verification of the tree care plan’s annual expenditures. Furthermore, the campus must have established a tree advisory committee.

The campus tree advisory committee at USCA consists of Brian Enter, USC Aiken Senior University Facilities Executive, Matt Butler, USC Aiken Grounds Manager, Alex Oliver. USC Aiken Student and Student Government, Dr. Andy Dyer, USC Aiken Department of Biology and Geology and Tom Rapp, City of Aiken Horticulturist and Arborist.

The USC Aiken campus currently maintains trees that are both native and foreign to our region. Trees that are cared for on campus include Dogwood trees, native flowering cherry trees, Japan and Asia crepe myrtles, southern Asia Fragrant tea olive trees, Asian Eastern redbud trees, native longleaf pine trees and native river birch trees.

The full USC Aiken tree care plan can be found here.