Hocking College has Earned 2023 Distinction Through the Tree Campus Higher Education Program

Nelsonville, Ohio – Hocking College (Hocking) was honored with the 2023 Tree Campus Higher Education recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management.

The Arbor Day Foundation is the world’s largest membership nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees. Its Tree Campus Higher Education program began in 2008 to encourage colleges and universities to plant trees on their campuses.

Trees on campus and in urban spaces can lower energy costs by providing shade cover, cleaner air and water, and green spaces for students and faculty. In addition, trees improve students' mental and cognitive health, provide an appealing aesthetic for campuses, and create shaded areas for studying and gathering.

"Trees not only play a vital role in the environment but also in our daily lives,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Having trees on college and university campuses is a great way to show a commitment to students and faculty’s overall wellbeing.”

The Tree Campus Higher Education program honors colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and engaging staff and students in conservation goals. Hocking achieved the distinction by meeting five standards, including 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. Currently, there are 411 campuses across the United States with this recognition.

We are incredibly proud to receive this recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation," said Hocking’s Dean of the School of Natural Resource & Public Safety, Robert Weiler. “Creating green spaces on campus helps to promote learning, mental health, and environmental conservation, and we're always striving for sustainability and the well-being of our students, faculty, and community." 

More information about the program is available at treecampushighered.org.