Oak, willow, and cherry trees are just a few of the 2,000 different plant species on UTC’s campus, now designated an urban arboretum by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council. UTC celebrated the honor as part of the 125th anniversary events.
“To celebrate this designation, we are gathered here on the site of a new planting to join the hundreds of other species represented here on our campus,” Chancellor Roger Brown said. “Several weeks ago, our Facilities crews, with help from students, planted a Swamp White Oak tree as a symbol of our commitment to a thriving, green campus.”
An arboretum is a place where a diverse collection of trees and shrubs are cultivated for scientific, educational, and ornamental purposes.
“Several years ago, we begin to recognize the connection between a beautiful, lush campus teeming with life and our ability to recruit students and employees,” Brown continued.
Led by a team of faculty, staff, and students, the UTC Arboretum will serve the Chattanooga community by providing a special place that conserves and displays the plants that enhance the city’s urban environment.
“The arboretum signifies biological diversity,” Dr. Hill Craddock, Davenport Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences, said. “A healthy forest has trees of all different ages. To commit to a healthy, urban forest, we need to continually plant trees.”
The funding for the project was made possible by the student green fee.
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