Tree Campus, USA: 'Berg receives recognition for campus' ecological beauty

In September 2022, President Rob Huntington gave retired Professor of Biology Dr. Ken Baker the go-ahead to explore two proposals to recognize and celebrate the beauty and ecological diversity of Heidelberg’s uniquely wooded campus grounds.

The first project came to fruition during Alumni Weekend on June 9, 2023, with the dedication of the collection of trees across all parts of campus as the Percy L. Lilly Campus Forest, in honor of the man who had played a central role in making Heidelberg University one of the most tree-lovely campuses in the nation.

And this January, Heidelberg learned that the second proposal had also turned out well when the university was informed that the Arbor Foundation had approved its application to become a Tree Campus, USA.

The man behind the trees

Dr. Lilly, who retired from Heidelberg in 1988 after serving for 32 years as professor of both Botany and Microbiology in the Department of Biology, had worked with generations of students in the planting of a great many of the trees we see today.

It was appropriate that the recognition of Dr. Lilly’s devotion to the beautification of campus should take place during Alumni Weekend since he had initiated the planting of a tree during the annual Remembrance Tree Ceremony, a practice which is now in its 25th year. He passed away on June 1, 2024, eight days before the Alumni Weekend dedication.

Fortunately, though, Dr. Lilly had been able to attend the university’s Arbor Day Celebration on May 3, where he was able to see the plaque, speak a few words of gratitude and, from his wheelchair, even add a few shovelfuls of soil to one last tree planting.

How Heidelberg became a Tree Campus, USA

That Arbor Day event played an important role in Heidelberg’s success at achieving recognition as one of the nation’s 415 “Tree Campus Higher Education” institutions, a program founded by the Arbor Foundation in 2008 to honor colleges and universities and their leaders for their promotion of healthy trees and for engaging students and staff in environmental conservation.

Heidelberg’s Tree Advisory Committee (TAC) first met on April 4, 2023, and has thereafter convened each month of the academic year. The initial members of the Committee included Dr. Doug Kane, Assistant Professor of Ecology and committee chair; John Hoffman, Grounds Supervisor; MacKensie Haneberg, Environmental Science major and President of the Alliance for Sustainability (AFS); the aforementioned Ken Baker, also a member of the Tiffin Shade Tree Commission; and Rod Morrison (ex officio), Associate Vice President for Facilities and Engineering. New faculty member Dr. Noel Mano, Assistant Professor of Biology, joined the TAC in September and Environmental Science major Kelly Peterson replaced MacKensie, when she became president of AFS last month.

The largest task facing the committee was creation of a Campus Tree Care Plan which had to include:
•    A clearly stated purpose of the plan
•    The responsible authority for enforcing the plan
•    A clearly stated role of the Tree Advisory Committee, and terms for its members
•    Policies for planting, landscaping, maintenance and removal of trees, together with a list of recommended and prohibited species for planting
•    A stated policy for protecting trees during construction, trenching and other activities
•    An annually revised list of goals and targets for the committee
•    A policy for assessing tree damage and for enforcing penalties when trees are harmed
•    A list of prohibited practices
•    A glossary of terminology about campus trees and their care
•    A communication strategy for informing the college community and contractors of the plan and its policies

Additionally, the creation of the campus Tree Care Plan aligns with one of the key initiatives of Heidelberg's Strategic Growth Action Plan (2022-26) with regard to sustainability.  

To maintain annual Tree Campus status, Heidelberg will need to continue to maintain a series of standards that include an annual observation of Arbor Day and creation of at least one service-learning project to engage students in this initiative, among others.

In April, Dr. Baker and Kelly Peterson will travel to Defiance College to represent Heidelberg at the 2024 NW Ohio Tree City USA/Tree Campus Awards Program.

—    This article was written by Dr. Ken Baker, Emeritus Professor of Biology and a member of Heidelberg’s Tree Advisory Committee.