Baylor University's Urban Forest
Baylor University is part of the Texas Blackland Prairies. These prairies contain soils that allow for tree growth. Over 3000 campus trees provide beautiful spaces for students, faculty, and visitors. The most common species on campus is the Live Oak.
Tree Campus Higher Education
At Baylor University, we are committed to promoting a biodiverse campus community within Waco, Texas. The Tree Campus Higher Education certification is an Arbor Day Foundation program that recognizes campuses who sustain healthy, vibrant trees. Our certification was made possible by the leadership of Biodiversity EcoRep, Marlo Treece! With the Tree Campus Higher Education Certificate, we have fulfilled 5 standards:
This committee is made up of Baylor faculty, students, and staff in addition to members of the Greater Waco, Texas community as well. This committee meets once a semester to discuss the direction and plans for the other certification standards.
Committee Members:
Faculty- Dr. Tamarah Adair
Office of Sustainability- Gary Cocke, Dr. Sarah VerPloeg
Facilities Management- Jeff Floyd , Nate Exley
HES- Travis Lee
Community- Eric Coffman, Hector Marines-Chio
Students- Caroline Gruber, Marlo Treece
The tree care plan, developed by Facilities Management, the Office of Sustainability, and Baylor’s contracted grounds maintenance provider (HES), acts as the framework for tree management on campus.
Money spent towards the tree care plan will be documented to include in recertification efforts. This includes initial tree care post planting, tree maintenance, as well as other associated costs.
Baylor hosts an annual Arbor Day event, or other tree celebration, to celebrate the benefits of trees, engage the campus community, and share about the importance of urban forestry.
Our service-learning project is being facilitated through an introductory biology course known as “BU-Trees,” overseen by Dr. Tamarah Adair.
