There are 4,000 trees on campus, and some have traveled hundreds of miles from other climates. These trees became a part of a local arboretum for landscape architecture and biology classes right on campus.
Some hold historical significance, like the Yellow Buckeye, planted south of Lillis Hall. According to Jane Brubaker, trade/maintenance coordinator at the University of Oregon, the tree was a gift from Ohio State University when the Bucks defeated the Ducks in a football game in 1958.
As the trees grew bigger and taller, they added to the aesthetic characteristic by defining open spaces and shaded areas.
“The trees create incredible spaces, though not formal space,” Brubaker said. “And (the trees) always compliment the architecture.”
While trying to maintain the trees living, they also provide a significant environmental benefit by reducing pollution, controlling erosion and providing habitat for wildlife.
Realizing the needs and the importance of protecting and preserving the wide variety of trees on campus, the campus planning committee founded the Campus Tree Plan in 2001 as an official written pattern to overlook and manage the trees on campus.
The latest update on the plan was in 2008 to accommodate with the 2005 Campus Plan.
Garrick Mishaga, Exterior Maintenance Supervisor, said the Campus Tree Plan is a requirement for each project happening on campus. Campus Planning and Real Estate will work with the Campus Tree Plan to decide or find alternative ways to protect and preserve as many trees as possible.
The organizations also work with the contractors to ensure the trees safety and health even in a minor repair or maintenance job.
“We try to maintain the university characteristics, and add more trees to the tree canopy but it’s not always possible,” Mishaga said.
Brubaker said the committee carefully plans to decide the fate of the trees.
“Sometimes we have to fight for it,” Brubaker said. “I know the university is not a garden, but many people love (the trees) on campus.”
If no alternative method is found, the university will replace the removal tree with a new tree.
The university required the working contractors to post removal trees to the public before proceeding with the project, Brubaker said.
Sometimes the university has to cut down trees damaged from harsh weather conditions or bacteria. The University of Oregon tries to replace ill or short-lived species with more durable trees.
The trees have significance to Brubaker at a personal level. As she works with donors of many trees on campus, many trees become sentimental to her.
“The tree becomes a reminder of a person,” she said. “It’s a nice place for family and friends to come back to.”
When a tree is finished living its life, the raw wood is stored at the Passive Solar Lumber Kiln program, as an effort of sustainability. The lumber is later turned into furniture that is used in Allen Hall, Johnson Hall and Ford Alumni Center and benches around campus, according to the Director of the program Deaton Love.
The rest of the wood is donated to local non-profit organizations or sold to purchase new trees to replace the old ones, starting a new life at UO campus.