Thanks to a partnership between Shawnee State University and the Arbor Day Foundation, students and staff (as well as local residents) can learn more about tree species in the region as they walk around campus.

Since 2016, Shawnee has been a part of the Tree Campus USA program, sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation. To earn that status, the university had to create a team to care for trees on campus and develop a plan to manage that care. 

Using a GPS provided through a grant from the Scioto Foundation, members of SSU’s team mapped out four campus trails and created a mobile app to provide information about tree species found along each route. Each tree referenced on the trail maps has a physical tag to identify it. 

The developers of the trails have multiple goals for the trails and foresee several benefits from them.

“The two big ones to me are going to be educational,” said Erik Larson, associate professor of geology at SSU. “People are going to be able to pull the maps on their phones and look stuff up. The physical health aspect also gives somebody an excuse to wander outside and get some steps in. Most of the trails are between a half mile and a quarter mile long.”

Kevin Bradbury, dendrology instructor, added that the trails can serve an important vocational function, as well.

“My goal is to help people actually learn this if they need it in a future profession,” he said.

Each tree trail was developed by finding similarity in trees and grouping them together into a particular theme. The Appalachian Tree Trail focuses on species native to the region, while the Around the World Tree Trail showcases less common species from all over. The Money Grows on Trees Trail focuses on trees that have played roles in the economy. The Relics of the Past Tree Trail highlights species that have been around for a significant part of the history of the earth.

Three additional off-campus trails have been mapped around Greenlawn Cemetery in Portsmouth: All Trees at Greenlawn Cemetery, Medicinal Tree Trail and Journey Around the World with Trees Trail.

The Appalachian Tree Trail map has been the most popular campus trail with visitors so far with 2,300 views. The Around the World map has had 950 views, while the Money Grows on Trees map has drawn 780 viewers and Relics of the Past has drawn 700 views. At Greenlawn, the Medicinal Tree Trail map has attracted 2,380 visitors while the Journey Around the World map has drawn 1,280.

Organizers of the trails hope to bring more knowledge to the community and create an activity to do outside. More information on the trails is available at this website: https://www.shawnee.edu/campus-life/trees. The link provides information on both the SSU and Greenlawn trails as well as other details about trees in the area and planting information.

The Arbor Day Foundation, which grants the Tree Campus USA designation, is an organization focused on slowing climate change and planting trees to better the environment. The following mission statement is posted on their website: “We’re working against a climate clock that demands we all do better. So we’re scaling our efforts to plant 500 million trees by 2027 in areas where they’re needed most.”