Campus Tree Care Committee

The purpose of this plan is to have an attractive, thriving, safe, and well-managed campus forest that promotes positive social, environmental, economic and public health impacts on campus and in the community. The objective of the Catawba College campus tree care plan is to identify the policies, procedures, and practices that are used in entrenching, protecting, maintaining, and when necessary, removing trees on the College’s campus. Specific objectives are as follows:

• Promote species diversity, including but not limited to native species, and proper age structure in the tree population.
• Protect high visibility, high value trees during renovation or construction projects.
• Ensure that trees are reasonably replaced when there is mortality due to weather, pest infestations, injury, or construction displacement.
• Encourage students, faculty, staff, visitors, and the campus community to respect and value the campus urban forest.
• Promote tree health and safety by utilizing best management practices in accordance with ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) when maintaining campus trees.

Responsible Department
Catawba College Landscape and Grounds Department located within the Facilities Department will oversee the implementation of the Tree Care Plan. The Center for the Environment and the Tree Care Advisory Committee will serve in a consulting role.

Tree Care Advisory Committee
Committee members will serve 2 consecutive years with the option to renew at the end of their term. Students will only serve 1 year. Terms will correspond to the College fiscal year (June 1-May 31). The Committee will meet each fall and spring semester and communicate by email as necessary. The Committee will provide important input to the ongoing care and improvement of the campus landscape. Committee members are expected to actively participate and contribute to policy/guideline issues as well as research/information gathering that would aid in the campus tree care plan.

Meet the Committee

Administration of the Campus Tree Care Plan
The Campus Tree Care Plan will be maintained and updated by the Landscape and Grounds Department within Facilities, under the oversight of the Campus Tree Care Advisory Committee. Facilities, specifically the Landscape and Grounds Department, will be responsible for ensuring that adequate funding is available for administering the Campus Tree Care Plan on an annual basis.

Utilizing ISA’s Best Management Practices (BMP), Catawba College will use the following guidelines to ensure the health of campus trees. Members of the campus community, Facilities, the Center for the Environment, and students will work together to learn about and promote growth of strong, healthy trees.

By demonstrating proper tree care practices, the Catawba College Landscape and Grounds Department will work to promote the health and longevity of campus trees.

A partial tree inventory of the College campus was created in 2016 that covered much of the main campus (60-65%) and again in the Spring semester of 2023 (80-85%). The college looks to expand upon this project, particularly as it pertains to future construction projects, campus planning projects, tree management, academic exercises, and public education. The College will also use an outside resource group to utilize tree inventory management software.

The second goal is for the College to implement more native species into its Campus Forest to create a diverse and thriving environment.

The College is enrolled in the STARS sustainability benchmarking program of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. The Tree Campus USA program and implementation of the Campus Tree Care Plan will be used to help qualify for Landscape Management and Biodiversity Credits.

Appropriate Facilities personnel will receive training in best practices for tree care and will implement these practices when planting, mulching, pruning and otherwise caring for campus trees.

The College will work to establish a Tree Endowment Fund with the sole purpose of providing and managing funds to replenish the College’s Forest when impacted by construction projects or campus disasters. The requirement for tree replacement is a one-to-one ratio of tree basal circumference. For example, a tree with a basal circumference of four feet could be replaced with two trees of basal circumference two feet or four trees with basal circumferences of one foot, or any other combination of circumferences equal to four feet.

When a construction project cannot replace all trees on-site, the equivalent value of these trees will be charged to the project and added to the Tree Endowment Fund for replacement elsewhere on campus. The Tree Endowment Fund will be managed by the Landscape and Grounds Department.

Catawba College will develop an annual Arbor Day tradition with creative events around Arbor Day to celebrate our commitment to tree care and sustainability.

Facilities Management is responsible for consulting the Campus Tree Care Advisory Committee and the Planning Practices and established objectives that fall under the Committee’s supervision, before moving forward with any new implementation.

New plantings will consider the mature size of the tree to ensure its long-term health, particularly as it relates to the vicinity of buildings, utilities, and the campus master plan.

Engineering practices should be modified to include design specifications related to the required plantings for new developments, preferred species, and protection requirements during construction activities, including but not limited to root zone protection and tree replacements for those impacted by construction.

The College will utilize responsible planting techniques and commit to a preference for native species when planting. Invasive Species websites will be monitored to ensure that planting practices on campus remain consistent with regulatory management and control techniques. Protection during construction is an extremely important part of tree maintenance because the damage that occurs during construction is irreversible. Critical root zones are very easily damaged by construction.

The following prohibited practices should be adhered to by contractors and Catawba College members, including employees, students, and visitors:

• moving or removing tree protection barriers.
• nailing, screwing, or attaching items into trees, unless authorized by the College.
• chaining, bolting, or locking items, including machinery, bicycles, or other equipment to trees, unless authorized by the College.
• storing materials or equipment within protection zones.
• unauthorized excavation or trenching within protection zones.
• unauthorized filling within protection zones.
• dumping construction materials or waste.
• unauthorized cutting, removal or scraping of bark, or breaking of branches.
• unauthorized transplanting or removal of trees.

The following prohibited trees are listed on The NC Native Plant Society Invasive Exotic Species List as a Severe Threat -

• Alianthus altissima, Tree of Heaven
• Albizia julibrissin, Mimosa
• Paulownia tomentosa, Princess tree

The following prohibited trees are listed on The NC Native Plant Society Invasive Exotic Species List as a Significant Threat –

• Morus alba, White mulberry
• Pyrus calleryana ‘Bradford’, Bradford pear

Invasive – any species that has been introduced to an environment where it is not native, and that has since become a nuisance through rapid spread and increase in numbers, often to the detriment of native species.

ISA – International Society of Arboriculture – International Organization that promotes the professionalism of arboriculture.

Native – originating in a particular region or environment (in this case, North Carolina Piedmont)

Backfill – to refill a hole with the soil dug out of it.

Pruning - a selective removal of tree parts such as branches, buds, or roots in order to maintain healthy plants, increasing the yield, or flower quality.

Root ball – the network of roots and the soil clinging to them when the tree is lifted from the soil or removed from a container.

Sustainable – a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.

Trunk flare - where the roots spread at the base of the tree; this point should be partially visible after the tree has been planted and when mulched.

Thinning - thinning is a term used in agricultural sciences to mean the removal of limbs, or parts of tree limbs, to promote healthy growth.

Trenching - the process of digging long, narrow channels in the ground for the purpose of laying pipes and wires during construction projects.

Transplanting - plant or tree removed from one location and reset in the ground at another.

Drip line - the drip line is the area directly located under the outer most leaves of the tree branches (this is where the tiny rootlets are located that take up water for the tree). See critical root zone.

ANSI-a300 - American National Standard Institute – Tree Care Standard Practices

Individual trees on the Catawba College campus that have developed exceptional historical, cultural, or aesthetic value because of their age, descent, legendary stature, contribution to the diversity of the campus landscape, exemplary representation of genus or species, rarity, or association with an important event or person. Our expectation is that these trees will not be affected by development of the campus.

Criteria - The following will be seriously considered when designating a tree or group of trees as heritage trees:

• Age is an important criterion and will vary by species.
• Historic Significance is an association with an important event or person and will vary by species.
• Location and setting designate a contribution to a significant view or spatial structure of a setting.
• Native specification is an important factor in determining heritage designation.

Catawba College Tree Care Advisory Committee along with consultation from a contracted arborist will determine initial designations after consultation with relevant university community members.

Subsequent nominations may be made by any member of the College community. Nominations should include a photo documentation of the candidate tree as well as a narrative explaining how the candidate tree fulfills a minimum of three of the four criteria for heritage designation listed above.

The Campus Tree Care Advisory Committee will review and evaluate all nominations. The university community will be notified of newly designated heritage trees.

To ensure appropriate protection of heritage trees and landmark space, Grounds and Landscaping Services will maintain the list of heritage trees and landmark spaces along with a map of their locations (Listing of Heritage Trees can be found in Attachment 1).

After approval of the Campus Tree Care Plan and Policies by the Catawba College Administration, the plan will be broadcast to the college community via the electronic mail distribution system and the plan will be available electronically on the web site of the College. The tree inventory will also be available via the web and possibly as an APP for IOS and Android users.

The total annual amount spent from Campus Services and Grounds on Arboriculture can be broken down into the following categories:

Attachment 1: Heritage Trees