On Saturday November 18th the Office of Sustainability hosted a tree inventory event to celebrate Texas Arbor Day. During the event students were guided by three certified arborists: Paul Schuman, St. Edward’s University; Lara Schuman, City of Austin; and Brad Hamel, Texas A&M Forest Service. Students collected data about the trees around campus and used the Tree Count app to create our first digital campus tree inventory. Students learned about how to measure trees, assess their health, and identify the species. The arborists talked about the importance of campus trees, tree care and protection, and diversity in the urban forest.
This project is just getting started! The goal of our arborist, Paul Schuman, is to have a complete inventory of all the trees on campus. This inventory will make it easier to manage our trees and make sure they are healthy at all times. If you want to have some fun and learn about trees, e-mail Ana Quevedo as there will be some other volunteer opportunities in the future.
Thank you to everyone who made this event successful!