Fresh Dirt, Flag Markers and Root Balls Equal New Life at Central

CWU's Campus Tree Plan is underway with phases one and two
March 26, 2007

Ellensburg, Wash. - Spring is underway and so is Central Washington University's Campus Tree Plan. Students returning to Central after spring break will notice new life on campus as CWU grounds crew implemented phase one of the tree plan and spent the weekend planting dozens of trees along University Way and D Street.

Developed by Central's Facilities Management Department (FMD), the Campus Tree Plan will help address long-term landscaping issues at CWU. According to Greg Poe, FMD manager, it's a shift toward a more pro-active operational tree management plan. "All that means is we want to make sure we're planting the right trees in the right places in the right ways," Poe says.

The plan, which has been reviewed by the CWU President's Cabinet and the university's site and development committee, involved planting improvement and clarifies the process for the installation and replacement of trees on the Ellensburg campus.

"As trees age and become sick and diseased or become a liability for safety, they will be removed or replaced with a similar tree or a tree better suited for the location," explains Calvin Lang, FMD grounds supervisor. "We will only plant healthy trees that belong in our zone range. That's what the tree plan is about."

Phase one of the project involved parallel replacement for the large shade trees along University Way and D Street. Adds Poe, "at 100 years old, the elms along those two streets are reaching the end of their lifespan and will eventually need to be removed."

Trees were removed from the area earlier this month to make way for new life, which includes about 40 red oaks, maples, birch and pagoda trees - also known as scholar trees. The new trees will form "a new, long lived arching canopy," according to Poe.

The next two phases of the Campus Tree Plan get underway at the end of this month. Phase two involves the removal and replacement of sycamore trees on the west side of Bouillon Hall. Phase three includes the planting of 200 Ponderosa pines along the west side of the service drive at Student Village.

Contact: Greg Poe, 509-963-3470 or poeg@cwu.edu