DBU Earns 15th Consecutive Tree Campus Recognition from Arbor Day Foundation

The Arbor Day Foundation recognized Dallas Baptist University as a 2024 Tree Campus dedicated to enhancing community well-being through tree education, investment, and community engagement.

The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. Its network of more than a million supporters and partners has helped the organization plant more than 500 million trees in forests and communities across more than 60 countries since 1972. The Tree Campus program recognizes schools, universities, and healthcare facilities that utilize trees to improve their communities.

"Trees have the power to inspire learning and improve well-being," said Michelle Saulnier, Vice President of Programs at the Arbor Day Foundation. "By growing campus green spaces, forward-thinking higher education leaders like DBU are cultivating vibrant learning communities that also benefit the greater environment."

Trees on campus can lower the energy cost of campus facilities by providing shade cover, reducing extreme heat, improving air quality, and boosting physical health benefits for students and staff. In addition, trees improve students' mental and cognitive health, provide an appealing aesthetic for campuses, and create shaded areas for gathering and studying.

To earn Tree Campus recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation, colleges and universities must maintain an advisory committee, set a campus tree care plan, verify annual investment in the tree care plan, celebrate Arbor Day, and create a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body.

"For 15 years, DBU has been honored to be recognized as a Tree Campus USA institution, reflecting our genuine commitment to stewardship and the beauty of God's creation", said DBU's Senior Vice President, Jonathan Teat. "We're grateful to our faculty, staff, and students who continue to support and champion these efforts, ensuring that University Hill remains a place that inspires others and reflects our core value of excellence."

"The Dallas Baptist University Landscaping team is humbled to receive the Tree Campus USA recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation for the fifteenth consecutive year," said Matt Dewhirst, Director of Construction, Landscaping, and Special Projects. "This achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of both past and present full-time staff and student workers, as well as our department's steadfast commitment to DBU's vision of building a great Christian university that is pleasing to God."

The Arbor Day Foundation's Tree Campus program is operated in partnership with the National Association of State Foresters and support from professional partner Bartlett Tree Experts. To learn more about the program or how to apply, visit the Arbor Day Foundation website.