Arbor Day: Replanting hope and greenness

Blanca Reyes

Editor-In-Chief

A dozen of maple trees from the Richland Tree Farm were planted on Richland Campus to celebrate a very special Arbor Day on April 29.Although this is an annual event, this year was even more meaningful since the new trees replaced the ones that were cut down last year due to the emerald ash borer beetle infestation that has been affecting North Texas for years.

“So, unfortunately, those trees came down, but we are replanting. And we are replanting from our tree farm, which is on the west side of our campus,” Dr. Kathryn Eggleston, president of the Richland Campus, said.

According to Janet James, dean, executive assistant to the president, the new 12-year-old trees are replacing some of the 18 trees that were cut down.

“We can only put 12 back because those trees were so mature that they had really deep root systems. So, in order to get all the roots out, it would have torn up the parking lot in the curb and the sidewalk, parts of the parking lot. And they are planting 12, so they don’t have to do that kind of deep excavation,” James said.

Mike Sills, Texas A&M Forest Service, who was one of the speakers at the event, said that the replacement trees are different species that cannot be affected by this emerald ash borer pest.

The ceremony started with the speakers and then, all the attendees including faculty, community members, and the Green Club from Richland Campus.

Green Club member L.J. Brown who was there to help to plant the trees in Parking Lot W.He heard about the event in his environmental class. Although Brown is not pursuing