When autumn hits campus, it hits hard. One of the things Jaia Smith, a first-year political science and communications student, noted when making her college decision and choosing the university was just how pretty the trees on campus are. “The campus is honestly really beautiful,” said Smith.
However, most students don’t know the reason why there is an abundance of trees surrounding the Bexley community.
Although the university is just outside the cityscape of Columbus, there is an abundance of older trees. “[The campus] seems more natural … even though we’re kind of in the middle of the city and close to Columbus and downtown. It’s a good in-between,” said Ellie Mullins, a senior student studying studio art and history.
A large tree in Bexley loses its leaves for autumn. Photo by Jaiden Archer.
The trees in Bexley are as old as the community itself. Many of the older trees are actually adult saplings that were planted at the city’s first inception in 1908. Walking in Bexley, it’s clear that the occasionally twisting sidewalk has been paved around the trees.
According to the Bexley Arboretum website, the City of Bexley has been an accredited arboretum for over twelve years, making it the first city in the United States to successfully obtain this accreditation. An arboretum is defined as a botanical garden that specializes in trees or woody plants, meaning the whole City of Bexley, including the university, is a tree garden.
To qualify as an arboretum, the city had to develop a master plan, compile a governing board dedicated to the aforementioned plan, showcase a minimum of 100 species of trees with signage that identified them, create a team of employees and volunteers dedicated to maintaining the arboretum, and develop educational programs for the public to learn more about the city trees.
As far as educational programming for the public, the City of Bexley has provided plenty. Various guided “tree walks” have been created using GPS for the enjoyment of the public. The “North, Central, and South Bexley Tree Walks” guide the user through all parts of the arboretum, listing an address for each tree as well as information about the species of the tree. The “Landmark Tree Walk” is another digital map that takes the user to different “Landmark Trees.” Landmark Trees are designated by the city as being notable “for their unique structure and poise.”
“One thing I will say about Bexley: their trees are very well maintained. Mostly because they have a lot of laws around it,” said Smith, who is from the Columbus area. These laws are specific to trees owned by the city; the trees are usually in the green space between the road and the sidewalk or in the city parks.
There are city ordinances on proper mulching for the trees. The city has also passed laws against killing or mutilating a tree, damaging trees with fire or heat, damaging tree signage, attaching advertisements to city trees, and spraying chemicals or pruning trees without proper city permission.
Jaia Smith and her friends find buckeyes while on a walk in Bexley. Photo by Jaia Smith.
Those who have been out in Bexley recently may have seen city employees using a truck with an industrial vacuum attachment to sweep away excess leaves. A lot goes into maintaining this municipal tree garden.
On campus, much of the same maintenance is required. Trees must be mulched, shrubs must be trimmed, and leaves must be raked and blown off the paths. Buildings have to be swept to get the leaves out that shoes have dragged in. In preparation for the holidays, the trees are wrapped in lights and a huge crane is brought in to decorate an evergreen tree that must be decades old. Plaques under the trees honor professors that have dedicated years to the university. Clearly, trees are a central part of this campus and community.
The trees are a very welcome feature of the campus for students. “Sometimes, when you’ve been looking at a screen for too long, it’s nice to just go look at nature and decompress,” Smith said.
There are many obvious benefits to trees, but there are specific benefits to municipal arboretums. According to the Bexley Arboretum website, “Bexley’s 14,000 street trees help create and foster pedestrian activity … studies show [this leads] to increased safety.” The trees also add a “$10,000 – $20,000 premium to real estate values.” Storm drain runoff is improved by the trees absorbing water, and the shade the trees provide reduces sun damage to pavement.
Again, the Bexley Arboretum website puts it best: “So go ahead, and hug a tree today – they deserve it.”
Comments are closed.