Tree Fund

Campus News | Tuesday, March 20, 2018

The Illinois-based TREE Fund has selected Columbus State as one of 17 recipients of its just-released 2017 fund awards list. The College is receiving $5,000. The awards are provided for urban tree research and education.

The College received the grant for the “Columbus State Arboriculture Education Expansion and Tree Care Academy Project” which seeks to increase awareness of the field of arboriculture and create an entry point for the college’s new Arboriculture Technician Certificate. The weeklong Youth Tree Care Academy for students 16 and older provides a hands-on introduction to arboriculture as well as the certificate program. It will be held again in the spring.

Steven O’Neal, professor of Landscape Design and Management, says, “The Academy exposes students to the ever-present and important profession of Arboriculture and Tree Healthcare. This part of the Landscape Profession is growing at an enormous rate and surpasses most other professions that we typically think of. The impact that these species have on our environment is immeasurable. Not only do we recognize their inherent beauty, but we also rely on the environmental, economic and social impact that trees have on our lives.”

Since its funding inception in 2002, TREE Fund has provided more than $3 million. “The wide array of grants that TREE Fund awarded in 2017 demonstrates the extensive impact that we and our research partners can have on communities within and beyond the tree care industry,” notes TREE Fund President and CEO J. Eric Smith. “From the broad quantification of human health benefits gained from city trees to approaches for battling tree disease on a microbial level, we are seeking to empower tree care professionals at all levels, and to educate lay people and policymakers alike on the economic, health and aesthetic benefits of healthy urban canopies around the world.”

For more information, visit treefund.org.

 

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