UNT’s campus is known for its landscaping, with national organizations recognizing the beauty of trees on campus and the university’s dedication to planting trees.
“We have over 5,000 trees on campus,” Trevino said. “The most prominent and common variety is oak but we also have elms, sycamores, huckleberries, and pecans.”
This year, to show off these important parts of the landscape and celebrate National Arbor Day, UNT Facilities will host a campus tree tour.
Arbor Day is a holiday created to recognize the importance of trees and promote tree planting. It is observed in many countries and occurs every year on the last Friday in April, but due to weather conditions, states can create their own Arbor Day suitable to planting season. Texas Arbor Day is celebrated in November because it is a better time to plant trees in the state.
“It’s not ideal to plant a tree in April since Texas has extreme weather conditions during the summer,” said Grounds Manager Erik Trevino, “it makes more sense to plant a tree in Texas in the fall.”
Trevino and his team wanted to do something to celebrate the national holiday so the university will host a campus tree tour for the UNT community. The tour is open to students, faculty, and staff and will give them a chance to learn about and appreciate the different trees on the UNT campus.
The tour will be held twice on April 26. The first tour starts at 9:00 AM and the second starts at 10:30 AM. Tours will begin by meeting under the Tree Campus USA banner on the north side of the Hurley Administration Building. Please RSVP on the UNT Facilities Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/383011709210336/
As part of the tour, there will be an interactive map and the community will be able to ask questions during the tour. The tour will show 13 different tree varieties and will last about an hour – but participants can leave early if they need to. The campus walk will include looking at the different types of trees, identifying them and discussing their characteristics. Those that cannot attend can still take the tour using the interactive online map here: https://bit.ly/treewalk2019
One advantage to having so many trees is that they offer a great amount of shade, Trevino said. He said there are shade trees that have been in place for 100 years or more.
“We also have smaller ornamental trees that are grown for more decorative purposes, and can easily be replaced if we need to change the landscape,” Trevino added.
For Trevino and his team, the tree tour is a way for them to share their knowledge and appreciation of trees with the UNT community. Trevino is a certified arborist by the International Society of Arboriculture, which promotes the professional practice of arboriculture to foster a greater awareness of the benefits of trees.
“Our Landscape Supervisor, Kelly Frailey, recently obtained his certification as a certified arborist,” Trevino said. “Our crew is dedicated to making a positive impact on the campus environment.”