Wake Forest has been recertified as a Tree Campus Higher Education

April 24, 2024

University Arborist Jim Mussetter poses with his bucket truck.

A message from the Office of Sustainability

The Office of Sustainability is proud to share that Wake Forest has been (re)certified as a Tree Campus Higher Education by the Arbor Day Foundation for the 13th year in a row, thanks to the campus-wide efforts of our campus arborist, Jim Mussetter, the Facilities & Campus Services Landscaping team, the Campus Tree Advisory Committee, and many more dedicated colleagues.

Wake Forest was first recognized as a Tree Campus Higher Education (formerly, Tree Campus USA) in 2011, and has been awarded the designation each consecutive year since. We are proud to maintain a 1:1 tree replacement ratio when trees meet the end of their lifespan or need to be removed due to hazardous conditions.

For 31 years, Jim Mussetter and his team have maintained thousands of trees around campus including the Magnolia trees on Manchester Plaza that were brought as seeds from the original campus, the beautiful dogwoods and eastern red buds that are blooming on campus right now, and many, many more native species.

Join us in celebrating this designation at our Arbor Day Celebration on Friday, April 26, at 3 p.m. at South Residence Hall. We’ll begin with a tree blessing and planting, break into groups for some weed wrangling to protect our trees from encroaching English Ivy. We will conclude with a cookout at South Residence Hall.

All Wake Forest students, faculty and staff are invited and encouraged to sign up. Groups with the highest participation will be recognized, and the first 100 to sign up will receive a signature recycled content t-shirt, sustainably sourced from Recover Brands.

This event is co-organized by The Office of Sustainability, Residence Life & Housing, and Facilities & Campus Services Landscaping Team.