Southern Oregon University has been honored by the National Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree Campus USA for the 10th consecutive year in recognition of SOU's commitment to the effective management of its urban forest.
Tree Campus Higher Education -- a program that began in 2008 -- recognizes US colleges and universities for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation.
SOU -- which first earned the distinction in 2014 -- is one of 411 higher education institutions nationwide to receive the most recent recognition.
SOU earned the Tree Campus designation by fulfilling the program's five standards for effective campus forest management: maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and a student service-learning project.
Trees on campus and in urban spaces can lower energy costs by providing shade cover, cleaner air and water, and green space for students and faculty. Trees can also improve students' mental and cognitive health, provide an appealing aesthetic for campuses, and create shaded areas for studying and gathering.
The Arbor Day Foundation is a million-member, nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission of inspiring people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. The foundation -- launched in 1972 -- has helped to plant nearly 500 million trees in more than 50 countries.
