The custodial and landscape services department at Missouri University of Science and Technology received the Missouri Arbor Award of Excellence from the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Community Forestry Council for substantially improving the community’s trees. S&T was one of five groups in the state to be honored.

Award recipients were chosen based on sustainability, use of sound tree management principles, and the effectiveness, size of area affected and innovation.

“The overall health and attractiveness of any community’s trees depends on many people practicing good tree stewardship on public and private property,” says Justine Gartner, Missouri Arbor Award of Excellence coordinator for the conservation department. “Well-designed tree plantings and sustained long-term care of existing trees are important to assuring a healthy community forest.”

In April 2010, S&T landscapers completed a tree inventory using funds from a $10,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Conservation for Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance (TRIM). Ongoing maintenance is an important part of the inventory.

S&T custodial and landscape services department worked with Davey Resource Group, an experienced urban forestry consulting firm, to map every tree on campus, identify its species, evaluate its condition and project its lifespan. S&T staff took all of the information and recommendations and implemented them into an ongoing maintenance program.