Tree Advisory Committee
UIC has been recognized as a Tree Campus every year since 2011.
To achieve recognition, UIC must meet five standards outlined on the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus Higher Education page.
Contact us if you want to learn more or participate on UIC's Tree Advisory Committee.
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About the Tree Advisory Committee
Establish a Tree Advisory Committee
UIC’s Tree Advisory Committee is required to meet at least annually to discuss the status of the goals of the UIC Tree Care Plan and advises the Chancellor’s Committee for Sustainability and Energy (CCSE) Biodiversity and Green Infrastructure subcommittee in regards to solution 4.3.2 Tree Care Plan of the UIC Climate Action Implementation Plan.
Members of the Tree Advisory Committee include at least one of the following:
- Student (undergraduate or graduate)
- Faculty
- Facility Management
- Community – for example – city forester, municipal arborist, community tree board member.
Create and Adhere to a Campus Tree Care Plan
UIC has a Tree Care Plan that contains recommendations by the Tree Advisory Committee how to best care for UIC’s trees, including provisions to protect our mature trees and how to replace removed trees.
Dedicate Expenses to the Tree Care Program
UIC is committed to its trees and works with a professional arborist company to inventory all trees on UIC’s property. A large comprehensive inventory provides our Grounds Department with specific, long-term solutions to tree care. The healthier the tree, the more benefits it can provide. These types of investments are essential in our campus wide ability to thrive and expand sustainably.
However, these dedicated expeditures only apply to our existing forest that are managed by Facilities Management (VCAS). New tree plantings are funded through contributions and donations to the UIC Tree Care program.
Hold Annual Arbor Day Observance Event
We hold Tree Campus Arbor Day Observances annually typically held during Earth Month commemorating Arbor Day (the last Friday in April in Illinois). If funding is available, we are able to plant trees with the help of UIC Facilities Management (Grounds). If funding is not available that year, we hold an educational observance.
- 2021 Arbor Day Observance - Happy Arbor Day, UIC Email blast to Campus April 30
- 2019 Arbor Day Observance - Openlands Tree Planting, May 15
- 2018 Arbor Day Observance - College of Medicine Tree Planting, April 27
- 2017 Arbor Day Observance - Enablon/ American Forest East Campus Tree Planting, May 12
- 2016 Arbor Day Observance - Arbor Day Foundation/ Megabus.com West Campus Tree Planting, April 1
- 2015 Arbor Day Observance - OAKtober Tree Planting UIC Paking lots, October 3
- 2014 Arbor Day Observance - College of Dentistry Tree Planting, April 22
- 2012 Arbor Day Observance - Daley Library Tree Planting, April 12
Host Service Learning Projects
We host Tree Campus Service Learning Projects that include tree tagging, tree plantings, and tree education projects such as quantifying the benefits of trees to health and wellness as well as to student academic success. We also host Tree Campus USA interns through the Sustainability Internship Program that focus on tree-related events, maintaining the Tree Care Plan, and other data collection like the growth rate of native vs. non-native tree species. Sign up as an EcoVolunteer to become involved in our Service Learning Projects.
Below are examples of various Service Learning Projects throughout the years.
- What if UIC had no Trees? Video
- What Tree Are You? Quiz, 2019
- UIC Capstone Project: Benefit of Nature to Student Success, 2018
- Tree Campus USA Internship, Circle Chen, 2018
- UIC Growing Green, 2017
- UIC College Prep Tree Tagging, 2016
- Quantifying the Benefits of UIC Trees, Kelly Ting, 2015
- Tree Campus USA Internship, Neel Thakkar, Karima Patel, Edder Antunez, 2015
- Campus Forestry Map, David Fullerton and Shelby Egan, 2014
- Tree Campus USA Internship, Alyssa Straits and Hulliams Kamlem, 2014
- Tree Campus USA Internship, Jakez Rolland, 2013
- Creating the first UIC Tree Care Plan, Andrew Lueck, 2011