Academic, medical campuses again receive honor for commitment to healthy trees

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LEXI COON and STEVE WOOD / University Relations


For the seventh year, UAB is recognized by the National Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree  Campus USA for its work to nurture more than 4,400 healthy trees and engage students and employees in conservation.

“In a year of considerable sorrow and pain, trees can serve as a reminder that something new can grow and bloom.”

UAB also was honored with a Tree Campus Healthcare designation for the second time, which recognizes health institutions that make a mission-aligned impact on community wellness through tree education, investment and community engagement.

“UAB being honored once again for its commitment to tree health and sustainability is especially important as we begin emerging from a year battling the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Bambi Ingram, UAB Sustainability coordinator. “In a year of considerable sorrow and pain, trees can serve as a reminder that something new can grow and bloom.”

UAB is dedicated to preserving tree growth on campus, while accommodating campus construction. The UAB Facilities Division created a process to evaluate the trees and estimate the value of their contributions to the campus ecosystem; if a tree or group of trees must be removed during construction, new trees that provide similar contributions must be planted at the site or the equivalent dollar amount added to the Lynne and Tim Sullivan Tree Fund, renamed in 2020 for retired UAB Facilities employee Tim Sullivan. The Tree Fund supports the management of UAB’s urban forest.

Within the past year, UAB Facilities Director of Support Services Scott Moran says money given to the fund has been used, for the second year in a row, to have many of UAB’s live oak trees pruned as well as provide special treatments to several other campus trees to alleviate soil compaction and stop invading pests and fungi. Additionally, Tree Fund dollars were allocated to replace two trees on University Boulevard following an automobile accident and relocate a Japanese maple from the School of Education to the Alumni House.

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The Lynne and Tim Sullivan Tree Fund helps to maintain tree diversity, replace damaged or diseased trees and add to the tree population on campus. Make a gift online.



Meet campus’ newest trees

UAB continues to increase its plantings across campus to further promote clean air and sustainable practices. Some of campus’s most recent trees include five Japanese maples around various residence halls, plus additional trees at the new Technology Innovation Center and peach trees at the Solar House and Sustainable Neighborhood zone.

Click through the slideshow below using the thumbnails to see some of campus' newest trees.

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  • Find several new lacebark elms along Ninth Avenue South near the Technology Innovation Center. LEXI COON / University Relations

  • Find several new lacebark elms along Ninth Avenue South near the Technology Innovation Center. LEXI COON / University Relations

  • Find several new lacebark elms along Ninth Avenue South near the Technology Innovation Center. LEXI COON / University Relations

  • Several new Japanese maples were planted near Blount and Rast residence halls. ANDREA MABRY / University Relations

  • Several new Japanese maples were planted near Blount and Rast residence halls. ANDREA MABRY / University Relations

  • Five new peach trees were planted this spring at the Solar House and Sustainable Neighborhood zone, which includes the Solar House, Blazer Kitchen Garden, Monarch Waystation and UAB Gardens. ANDREA MABRY / University Relations

  • Five new peach trees were planted this spring at the Solar House and Sustainable Neighborhood zone, which includes the Solar House, Blazer Kitchen Garden, Monarch Waystation and UAB Gardens. ANDREA MABRY / University Relations

 


As part of the inventory of UAB’s 4,400-plus trees, each one has been assessed for value, based on age and location. Use this specialized Google Map, created by the UAB Reporter, to find the most treasured trees on campus.