PRESS RELEASE
APRIL 25, 2023
SJR State receives its 10th consecutive Tree Campus distinction
St. Johns River State College has been recognized as a 2022 Tree Campus Higher Education institution by the Arbor Day Foundation. This marks the tenth consecutive year the College has received this distinction for its commitment to effective urban forest management.
The five core standards for effective campus forest management SJR State has met to receive the Tree Campus recognition includes “establishment of a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance, and the sponsorship of student service learning projects.”
According to SJR State tree committee member Susan Sutliff, “Since we began our Tree Campus USA efforts, we have planted numerous trees on our three campuses. Many of these trees were planted to honor people who devoted their careers to the College,” Sutliff said.
The College’s first Tree Campus USA status, granted by the Arbor Day Foundation, was obtained in 2013, following more than a year of strategically planned efforts by faculty, staff and students. The College’s projects included preserving healthy, attractive and sustainable wooded vegetation on each campus, as well as conducting educational outreach efforts and service projects.
As part of SJR State’s core standards as a Tree Campus, the Palatka Campus hosted the 2023 Palatka Arbor Day Celebration in conjunction with the City of Palatka in January. The College was presented with a live oak tree, which was planted near the gymnasium.
The celebration included SJR State President Joe Pickens; Keith Valentine, Palatka Tree Committee Chair; UF/IFAS horticulture agent Julio Perez and Nicole Grace executive director of Keep Putnam Beautiful; Blake Josephson, a forester with the Florida Forest Service provided free saplings.
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Michelle Sjogren
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(904) 276-6814
Susan Kessler
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(386) 312-4021