After a year of hard work by the Campus Tree Care Plan Committee, Notre Dame has officially been recognized as a Tree Campus USA school. Tree Campus USA helps colleges and universities establish and sustain healthy community forests.
Notre Dame's tree canopy has a rich history. In 1966, the University's first tree survey was conducted. Since then, two surveys at 25-year intervals have been conducted to catalog Notre Dame's tree canopy, led by Biodiversity Museum & Herbarium Curator Barbara Hellenthal.
The Arbor Day celebration in 2024 kicked off the Tree Campus USA campaign with the planting of five trees around Cavanaugh Hall. Led by Beau Barnett, director of landscape and grounds, several students volunteered and were instrumental in establishing this collaborative event.
“I know I’ve spoken to a lot of my long tenured employees — 30 to 35-plus years — and this is the first time we’ve done anything like this,” Barnett said.
All five trees planted are native to the region, emphasizing Tree Campus USA’s mission of planting with integrity and intention.
“They are all native species which are important for supporting the birds and the insects that the birds eat, who all thrive much better on native species than they do on any introduced species that are from other parts of the world or country,” Hellenthal said. “So these are really important because they are improving and increasing the proportion of native species that we have on campus. That’s a big push with the grounds crew right now.”
Joining Tree Campus USA requires following five overarching standards set by the Arbor Day Foundation.
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Establishment of a campus tree advisory committee
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Evidence of a campus tree care plan
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Verification of the plan’s dedicated annual expenditures
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Observing Arbor Day
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Creating a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body
Lauren Farrell, an undergraduate student, has spearheaded the Campus Tree Care Plan (CTCP) Committee with Barnett. “We will continue to meet to ensure that we are successfully upholding the requirements of a Tree Campus USA. We will also explore other initiatives concerning our trees and increasing student engagement with them,” Farrell said.
The CTCP Committee identified key objectives for campus arboreal life: preservation, diversity, education, and sustainability.
“Our vision is to cultivate a campus environment where trees thrive, contributing to a sustainable, resilient, and aesthetically pleasing landscape and fostering an environment for students to learn, congregate, and grow,” Barnett said.
In addition to this national recognition, St. Joseph County has crowned 12 Big Tree Champions on Notre Dame’s campus. The largest tree recognized this year is a sycamore near Corby Hall.
Protecting and preserving the campus tree canopy does not stop here. CTCP is exploring opportunities with Arbnet, a global network for tree professionals based out of the Morton Arboretum in Illinois, to gain Level II accreditation.
The committee and student volunteers will hold another Arbor Day tree planting event April 25.
“[We want to] include the campus community in student/faculty engagement events to foster a sense of environmental stewardship,” Barnett said.
“This designation represents Notre Dame's commitment to protecting its beautiful trees and our initiative to get our campus community to be more engaged with them," Farrell said.
Originally published by at ndworks.nd.edu on April 07, 2025.