New trees coming to UGA campus

By ALEXIS STEVENS

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Future generations of University of Georgia tailgaters will notice a lot more green mixed in with the red and the black.

That’s because $1 million worth of trees have been donated to the school. The first batch of approximately 300 trees will be planted on campus this fall, said Dexter Adams, director of grounds for UGA. The Select Sustainable Tree Trust plans to donate hundreds of additional trees each year for the next 10 years to the university. 


And we’re not talking about little seedlings here. The majority of the “sustainable” trees will have trunk diameters ranging from four to six inches and are 15 to 25 feet tall, according to Brian Brodrick, an advisory board member for the tree trust.

“At first I thought all trees were sustainable,” Adams said Thursday. “But now I know these will be long-lived trees that don’t require a lot of work. Big durable trees, eventually impressive trees.”


The tree donation comes just months after 200 trees were damaged on campus following a February snowstorm that blanketed the Athens area. 
“It was devastating to the trees in the area,” Adams said. “Our trees haven’t evolved to take that kind of load, unlike Northern trees.”


University President Michael Adams toured the campus Wednesday with members of the trust to discuss possible locations for the first group of trees. 


“We’re preparing planting plans for the trees,” Dexter Adams said. “My suggestion is that we kick off on North campus.”


That area includes the university’s landmark arch and hedge-lined Sanford Stadium, along with numerous historic trees. More than 100 types of trees are already part of the university’s arboretum, and the trust itself was founded by those with strong ties to the UGA horticulture program, which is known for plant experts like Drs. Michael Dirr and Allan Armitage. 


“There are not going to be plaques on these trees,” Dexter Adams said. “These trees are going to the arboretum. They’re [the tree trust] doing it for all the right reasons.”

The Select Sustainable Tree Trust was established by Select Trees of Bishop, Ga., one of the nation’s leading commercial tree nurseries.