News
Tennessee Tech campus recognized as certified arboretum
From left: Delayne Miller, sustainability manager at Tech, is presented with the university’s
official arboretum certification by Kevin Bolger, council operations and program coordinator
for the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council.
Tennessee Tech University has long been known for its scenic beauty, but now the university
has a sought-after credential to prove it: newly-certified arboretum.
The Tennessee Urban Forestry Council (TUFC) officially recognized Tech's 270-acre
campus as a level 2 arboretum based on a rigorous set of criteria that includes tree
diversity, upkeep and the quality of experiential education that the space provides
to visitors. The certification comes just in time for National Arbor Day on April
26.
“Tennessee Tech has been intentional about maintaining green spaces on campus – even
with all the new construction. It’s important to us that sustainability and environmental
responsibility are not just ideas students hear in the classroom, but values that
they see lived out in the design and daily practices of our campus,” said DeLayne
Miller, sustainability manager at Tech.
Miller continued, “Several people have worked over many years to create an environment
that draws in the scenic beauty we have all around us here in the Upper Cumberland
area and allows our community to experience nature in meaningful ways, without leaving
campus. So, we’re excited to see those efforts recognized by the TUFC with this certification
as the Tennessee Tech Arboretum.”
Miller expressed special thanks to Tech’s Biology Department, School of Agriculture,
Facilities Department, and the many students who worked to secure Tech’s arboretum
status by developing the university’s tree inventory with GIS mapping, ensuring proper
tree signage and helping with general care and maintenance.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture defines an arboretum as “a place with an exhibit
of trees and other plants for display or scientific study.” Tech’s campus is home
to more than 1,200 trees and over 90 different tree species, including unique varietals
such as the Arizona Cypress and the Chinese Pistache.
Each year since 2019, Tech has been recognized as a “Tree Campus USA” by the Arbor
Day Foundation. The university’s assortment of trees across campus also includes oak
trees, America’s national tree, and tulip poplars, the state tree of Tennessee.
The oldest trees on Tech’s campus, a pair of Post Oaks, are more than 300 years old
and recently received the “Landmark and Historic Trees” designation by TUFC.
Kevin Bolger, council operations and program coordinator for TUFC, praised Tech’s
commitment to arboriculture and community forestry.
“Our goal at TUFC is to see a certified arboretum within a 30-minute drive of every
Tennessee community,” said Bolger. “With its rich diversity of trees and plants and
its pristine, welcoming campus feel, Tennessee Tech has been a valuable partner in
that effort. We hope families and nature-seekers in the Upper Cumberland and beyond
will make a trip to Tennessee Tech to see our state’s newest certified arboretum.”
Learn more about Tech’s sustainability initiatives, including the new Tennessee Tech
Arboretum, at www.tntech.edu/sustainability/.