Tree stump behind John J. Murphy Professional Building
Elizabeth Kamrowski /The Bona Venture
BY: ELIZABETH KAMROWSKI, NEWS ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
When walking to her classes at St. Bonaventure University, Alyssa Torgalski said she loves looking at the vivid colors of the fall leaves on campus.
After parking in lot F, near the on-campus tennis courts, she gazed up at the trees.
But this time it was different. There were no trees to gaze upon. They were just stumps.
“It’s upsetting to see,” said Torgalski, an inclusive childhood and early childhood education major. “It makes campus seem depressing. The trees give our campus a homey, earthy feeling.”
St. Bonaventure University plans to replant the trees that are cut down around campus to maintain their positive environmental status.
According to Jared Smith, the director of facilities operations, trees are being cut down for safety.
“The trees being trimmed/removed on the west side of campus posed a safety issue as dead/diseased trees are dangerous,” said Smith. “We only ever remove trees that pose a safety concern.”
Dennis Frank, the university archivist, agreed with Smith’s statement.
“[The trees] are diseased or at the end of their normal lifespan and present a danger if strong winds or ice come through the area,” said Frank.
According to Smith, 12 new trees are being planted this spring.
“On the east side of campus, we are installing new lights this summer and planting new trees along the road from Route 417 to Francis Hall,” said Smith.
Philip Winger, the retired vice president for facilities, said that replacing trees on campus helped keep a positive atmosphere.
“New trees are planted from time to time as part of general landscape maintenance and enhancement, trying to maintain the architectural character of the place,” said Winger.
Frank said that Bonaventure has always put a high value on the campus environment.
“St. Bonaventure has always been a campus that appreciated its trees and other plantings,” said Frank. “These have evolved over the years depending upon how much staff was available to maintain them as well as vandalism and disease and changes to campus buildings.”
Bonaventure is a designated Tree Campus Higher Education campus by the Arbor Day Foundation for their dedication to maintaining and adding trees. Bonaventure has held this distinction since 2010.
The Arbor Day Foundation is a million-member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees, according to the Tree Campus Higher Education website.
This program honors colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals, according to Bonaventure’s website.
This program provides a framework for colleges to grow their community forests, achieve national recognition and create a campus their students and staff are proud of, according to the organization’s website.
Required standards include: 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, according to Bonaventure’s website.
“I’m looking forward to when the leaves start to grow on the new trees,” said Torgalski.
kamrowes23@bonaventure.edu
