Donor Funds Arbor Additions
Nov 23, 2009 by Kyler Post, Campus Carrier Managing Editor - Berry College
In a time of year when families search through groves of trees to pick out the perfect one, Berry has picked more than 130 to be planted on campus later this month.
The trees will be planted, beginning Nov. 30, along the paved path that begins in front of Morgan and Deerfield halls and extends to the monument near Victory Lake. The project will cost more than $50,000, a sum donated to the school by an anonymous donor.
Vice President of Finance Brian Erb said the trees are being planted to replace the unhealthy and, in some cases, dead trees on either side of the pathway.
“Due to the drought we’ve experienced over the past few years, we’ve already lost about one-third of the existing trees over there,” Erb said. “So it’s important that we start replacing those trees as soon as possible.”
The existing trees are predominantly water oaks, while a few are willow oaks. Erb said the new trees will all be willow oaks because they have a longer average life span than the water oaks.
In addition to planting the new trees, about a dozen dead or unhealthy existing trees are scheduled to be removed.
Select Trees, a wholesaler of large trees based in Athens, is supplying the trees for the project. According to the company’s Web site, their trees are “select sustainable” trees. The company is known for producing trees with foliage that is highly impenetrable to disease and insects.
The new trees will be back-planted around the existing trees, meaning that a new tree will be planted in-between and slightly behind the existing oaks. This process will allow the new trees space to grow taller and fuller with time.
Each new oak stands between 15 and 20 feet in height and weighs more than 2,000 pounds each. Erb said they should reach around 35 feet at the end of five years. The trees should reach their peak height in 10 years’ time.
As is the case with most of the trees on campus, these oaks were planted long ago and with a specific, monumental purpose in mind.
The trees were planted in the 1920s during the construction of Victory Lake. The path was then known as the “Road of Remembrance,” in memory of the 11 Berry students killed during World War I.
The trees lined on both sides of the path create what is known as the “canopy effect,” with the shadows of the trees covering the road, creating the illusion that you are walking underneath a canopy as you proceed down the path.
This effect is a common feature on campus, and Erb said it is part of what stands out about Berry’s landscape.
“The trees are part of the culture at Berry,” he said. “It’s something people remember when they visit here and something they come to love.”
Tagged: berry college, select sustainable trees, select sustainable tree trust, sstt, victory lake