18 Mar 2016 CBC named Tree Campus USA

Central Baptist College has been named a 2015 Tree Campus USA® recipient.

Tree Campus USA, a national program launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation, honors colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation.

To obtain this distinction, CBC met the five core standards for sustainable campus forestry required by Tree Campus USA, including establishment of a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and the sponsorship of student service-learning projects.

Tree Campus USA, which is modeled after Tree City USA, encourages best tree-management practices for the urban forest. The city of Conway is a Tree City USA.    

According to CBC President Terry Kimbrow, “In 2011, CBC included working on this certification in our Campus Landscape Masterplan. I’m excited that in 2015 we had a committee that worked hard to achieve the certification. Their hard work and dedication sends a valuable message to the community that CBC cares about the environment.”

The Arbor Day Foundation has helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities invested more than $36.8 million in campus forest management last year. More information about the program is available at arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA.

CBC employees and students have volunteered with the Conway Arbor Day local event and have coordinated events to plant trees and landscaping on the campus.  

Committee members involved in the certification process included CBC representatives Alexis Hall, Kerry Norris, Ann Gardner, Dr. Latasha Smith, Jerry Clifton and Charlotte Stewart.   Community members included were Alison Litchy with the Arkansas Forestry Commission and Kami Marsh with the Faulkner County Extension Office. CBC’s Landscape Master Plan was developed by Crafton Tull.