UW-River Falls has been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a 2024 Tree Campus for its dedication to enhancing community well-being through tree education, investment and community engagement. 
 

UW-River Falls earns 2024 Tree Campus USA recognition from Arbor Day Foundation

April 17, 2025 - The Arbor Day Foundation has recognized the University of Wisconsin-River Falls as a 2024 Tree Campus for its dedication to enhancing community well-being through tree education, investment and community engagement. 

The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. Its network of more than 1 million supporters and partners has helped the organization plant more than 500 million trees in forests and communities across more than 60 countries since 1972. The Tree Campus program recognizes schools, universities and health care facilities that utilize trees to improve their communities. 

“Trees have the power to inspire learning and improve well-being,” said Michelle Saulnier, vice president of programs at the Arbor Day Foundation. “By growing campus green spaces, forward-thinking higher education leaders like UW-River Falls are cultivating vibrant learning communities that also benefit the greater environment.” 

Trees on campus can lower the energy cost of facilities by providing shade cover, reducing extreme heat, improving air quality and boosting physical health benefits for students and staff. Additionally, trees improve students' mental and cognitive health, provide an appealing aesthetic for campuses and create shaded areas for gathering and studying.  

“The Tree Campus USA recognition furthers our commitment as an institution toward our goal of being a regional and national leader in campus sustainability,” said UWRF Sustainability Coordinator Mark Klapatch-Mathias. 

To earn Tree Campus recognition, colleges and universities must meet five core standards: maintain an advisory committee; develop a campus tree care plan; verify annual investment in the tree care plan; celebrate Arbor Day; and create a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body. 

As part of the Arbor Day celebration, the UWRF Horticulture Society will plant a tree at 10 a.m. Friday, April 25, on the south side of the University Center. The event is open to the campus community and highlights the university’s continued dedication to sustainability and environmental stewardship. 

While this is a new designation for the university, the City of River Falls has been a Tree City USA for more than 25 years.  

“This not only shows our support and commitment for the campus community, but we now join the city [of River Falls] in their efforts to grow a healthy, diverse and resilient urban forest for all of the city’s residents and visitors to enjoy,” said Kevyn Juneau, UWRF conservation professor.  

The Tree Campus program is operated in partnership with the National Association of State Foresters and supported by professional partner Bartlett Tree Experts. The UWRF Sustainability Office, the Ecological Restoration Institute and the student Bee Club will host informational booths at the 2025 Earth Fest on Saturday, April 26. Attendees can learn more about the Tree Campus USA program and other campus sustainability initiatives. To learn more about Earth Fest, visit uwrf.edu/News/Earth-Fest-set-for-April-26.cfm.