Tree Farm Group 1

KU Student Tree Farm: Growing Trees for Campus Landscaping

Currently, the University of Kansas relies on a supply of trees collected from third-party vendors for landscaping and to maintain the campus aesthetics. Recently, the University Endowment and Landscaping departments have expressed the desire for more native pine trees in Pioneer Cemetery, located on West Campus. The Capstone class, the Environmental Studies Department’s course designated for those students nearing the end of their studies, provides a unique learning opportunity by conducting out-of-class projects. One such group has made great advances and produced a successful project: the Tree Farm Group.

The main objective of the Tree Farm project is to create a student-ran organization to supply the University of Kansas Landscaping department with a variety of locally-grown, native trees, which can be used to replace dead and dying trees on the KU campus and for other landscaping projects.

Research for the project has taken information from academic sources, articles and magazines detailing horticultural practices and general tree care tips, and from local contacts from the KU and other universities. The project has received support from University of Kansas staff and aid from the KU Landscaping, Endowment, and the KU Student Farm. KU Endowment has agreed to partially fund the implementation of the Tree Farm project.

A number of supplies are needed for the present and future care of 100-200 trees. These range from maintenance tools to those needed to make physical changes to the surrounding landscape. A list of native trees and those found to be the most appropriate for encouraging landscaping use of local flora was compiled using researched data. This list influenced the selection of trees for the tree farm: hackberry, bur oak, red cedar, and red oak will be the species initially grown on the farm. All trees were purchased from the Missouri Department of Conservation. Plans for maintenance include extending current watering plans from the university’s student farm.

The group has also set future goals and created plans for continuing the success of the farm. These include incorporating the Tree Farm area into current local tours provided by students of the Student Farm to educate the general public about the endeavor. The Tree Farm project involves routine maintenance, which will mainly be done through student participation. Other goals include establishing an internship funded by the Zadigan Scholarship of the Environmental Studies department for a student to oversee operations at the farm, and extending the supply of trees grown on the farm to local non-profit organizations.

Tree Farm Group 2

Background

On June 21, 1941, the nation’s first privately owned tree farm, the Clemson Tree Farm, came into being. The farm was created on land dedicated by the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company near Montesano in Grays Harbor County in Washington State. The area consisted of about 130,000 acres in land, which represents only a small fraction of the 93 million acres of land dedicated to tree farms in the US today. In the year 2000, the US contained around 70,000 tree farms, but with the increase in environmental awareness over the past decade, that number has increased to somewhere around 88,000 (Wilma 2012).

While pinpointing the exact university or college to first create a tree farm on campus remains problematic, one university in particular stands out. Queens University in Ontario, Canada is the site of a student-initiated tree farm created in 1975 – an effort to replant the 200 elm trees that had died from

Dutch elm disease or that the university had cut down for construction. The tree farm came as a direct result of the school’s “Project Green,” a club that stemmed from Queens University’s “Forever Green” campaign. After the loss of a significant amount of the same species of tree, students realized that they needed to plant a variety of tree species so that a similar incident would not occur again. A group of 24 students used resources and land donated by Lou Bruce, a local tree farmer, to dig their own trenches, plant, and transport tree saplings back to campus. The hard efforts of students paid off, resulting in a beautifully vegetated campus that represented a “Green” campus which promoted protection and preservation of plants (Gunn 2010). This student-initiated tree farm and green enforcement set a precedent for other universities to preserve the beauty of their campuses.

In the United States, environmental responsibility has received increasing attention over the past few decades. It has become a duty of communities, organizations, and institutions to work together to make more environmentally-conscious choices for the future. Many people have the goal of working towards a more sustainable future. Although it will take a nationwide effort, communities can make substantial progress at the local level.

KU realizes the importance of these issues and took its first step by creating its very own Center for Sustainability in January 2007. Its mission, as stated on its website, is to promote a culture of

Tree Farm Group 3 sustainability on campus. To achieve this goal, one of the main objectives involves creating a more sustainable future by working with student organizations to promote sustainable initiatives on campus

(KU Center for Sustainability n.d.). Some past student projects include restoring Potter’s Lake, creating a

KU student rain garden and farm, and the creation of a campus garden. Our senior group project goes hand in hand with KU’s Sustainability Plan and their objectives. The group plans to create a local and efficient option for KU to obtain trees to use for campus landscaping. KU can accomplish this by planting and growing trees on a student-run farm at an off-campus location, using sustainable methods.

By creating a Student Tree Farm, we hope to reduce our carbon footprint and raise awareness of the local environment by getting students and faculty involved in the process of growing trees. Growing trees locally using fertilizers and pesticides minimally ensures that we are growing trees in a safe and affordable way. If this project shows success on the campus level, our group hopes to extend its reach by offering trees to the community of Lawrence.

This paper examines the feasibility of creating a student-run tree farm that can successfully provide the University of Kansas with trees in a sustainable manner for years to come. The paper also discusses the steps our group took to begin and ensure the continuance of a KU Student Tree Farm project.

Research and Methods

In deciding how to establish and maintain the tree farm, the group consulted information about the native trees of Kansas and on how to care for trees in larger-scale tree nurseries. The group contacted

Cheryl Boyer, a nursery production specialist in the Horticulture and Forestry Department at Kansas State

University. Cheryl provided the group with crucial information and tips about starting a small-scale tree farm.

We wanted to create a small-scale tree farm to provide small trees to KU Landscaping, and planned to initially plant about 100-150 trees. The small scale of our operation meant that the group could

Tree Farm Group 4 adopt some techniques from commercial tree nurseries, but would not be able to use certain other methods meant for tree care on a larger scale.

Though one can grow trees from seed, the best option, according to Cheryl, for a small-scale operation like ours relies on the use of “liners” - small trees already grown to about a 0.5-inch caliper (the circumference of the tree six inches off the ground). The group would then grow these saplings on our farm. Since trees sometimes need pruning to give them shape, the project would benefit most from using pre-grown trees that have already undergone most major pruning. This relieves the student tree farm from requiring volunteers to have pruning experience.

Most trees planted in a tree nursery at the liner stage take about two to four years to reach a size suitable for planting for landscaping (1-2 inches in caliper). The group planned to offer smaller, non-focal point trees, so we estimated that trees could be transplanted from our farm after two years. This requires the Tree Farm to be a multi-year endeavor. The time needed for the trees to grow to size gave rise to questions surrounding the feasibility of students running the tree farm, since students graduate and leave campus each year. The group sought to recruit a student with the ability to check up on the trees planted and ensure the continuance of the farm, possibly by creating a paid student internship.

The group then tackled the issue of determining the type of planting method for the trees. The group decided to use flexible polyethylene pots that one can then bury in the ground. This method provides an advantage by protecting the trees from extremes of temperature (Container Production 2012).

Trees planted in buried pots can survive winter temperatures while trees planted in above-ground pots require storage indoors or in a warehouse during the wintertime to protect them from cold. In addition, planting the trees in pots also allows them to be easily moved for transplanting.

Commercial tree farms often use a pot-in-pot system that allows for easy transplanting and insulation of trees from cold temperatures. This method involves planting trees in one pot, then nestling that pot in another pot sunk into the ground (Pot-in-Pot Nursery Production, 2012). The group opted to plant our trees in a way similar to this method, by planting trees in three-gallon polyethylene pots sunk

Tree Farm Group 5 into the ground. Our smaller trees do not require the larger-sized pots that large commercial trees need, nor stakes, since our trees do not reach sizes vulnerable to being blown over by wind.

The group also opted to use regular soil in the pots versus commercial potting materials to cut costs. We may mix in additional potting media into this soil if needed. The group also plans to use controlled-release fertilizer pellets as needed. The group plans to use mulch to prevent weeds from establishing in the tree containers. In the case that the trees fall prey to disease, KSU can diagnose the origin of the disease if the group sent in leaf samples, and can offer suggestions for how to treat the problem (Boyer 2012).

Trees do well if planted in either fall or spring, given that they have enough time to establish roots (about 1-2 months). The group would give the trees extra care during the first few weeks after planting and during the winter to make sure that the trees receive enough water. We choose to use drip irrigation through a drip line for our project because it reduces the necessity for constant work on the farm. However, we plan to have a person walking the lines regularly (every week, or at least every few days in the summer) to check that the irrigation system remains working properly.

Large-scale tree nursery operations use equipment such as tree spades to dig up and move trees for transplanting, but we decided against using such equipment because of the small scale of our operation. We plan to pot and dig up the trees by hand when they have reached a suitable size for transplantation onto the KU campus.

The group went through a long process in determining which trees would best fit the landscape and environment on campus. The group discovered that not all trees in place on campus have qualities fit for replacement. In the tree selection process the group determined that some trees had more ideal qualities than others for a campus environment. Fruit and nut trees have problems with rotting fruit polluting the surrounding areas, for example. Other tree species such as elm trees have poor defenses against diseases such as Dutch elm disease. Conifers also have susceptibility to certain diseases. The group had to take into account the size of trees planted. While the state tree, the cottonwood, portrays the beauty and grandeur of Kansas, the tree grows too large for a feasible campus tree. The tree species

Tree Farm Group 6 wanted would ideally not grow too large in case the university needed the tree removed for building or other reasons. The group ruled out several other tree species due to size, longevity, or large root systems that could potentially leech nutrients from other trees and greenery, or damage building structures.

Ideally, the group wanted to grow trees native to Kansas to increase and promote native biodiversity on campus. The ideal tree would grow to medium size. The group also needed trees with aesthetics such as flowering in the spring or attractive autumn leaf color. The group ultimately decided on the following tree species: hackberry, red oak, bur oak, and red cedar.

Supplies and Budget

When planning the student-run tree farm the group recognized the importance of an accurate list of needed supplies and their estimated cost. The group had to complete this step prior to asking for a grant or proposing the idea to campus administrators. When compared to many other proposed projects on campus that the university funds, this project has a very limited budget. Because of this, our group remains optimistic about the chances of receiving funding from KU Endowment.

The first and most important step involved finding a suitable place to locate the tree farm. The group discussed several locations, but after weighing the pros and cons, we decided to locate the tree farm in the same space as the KU Student Farm and the medicinal plant garden. This spot proved itself ideal due to ample free space, an existing water spigot, and being already linked to a community of people willing to help manage the tree farm. Additionally, the location was available to us for planting trees free of charge. The only disadvantage to this location is its distance from campus.

The group then took on the next step of determining the list of physical items needed and their respective costs. The trees themselves are arguably the most important item on the list of supplies. Based on a great tip from Jason Hering, KU Environmental Studies alum, the group decided to order trees from the Missouri Department of Conservation. Trees from the Missouri Department of Conservation were well-priced, and offered in a variety of species choices. An order of 100 trees only cost $37, and they were delivered within a week.

Tree Farm Group 7

After the selection of trees, the next step was to come up with a system for planting and caring for the trees and their associated costs. The group explored several systems, but ultimately decided to plant the trees in poly pots buried in the ground and then covered with mulch. The trees would then acquire water through drip lines resting on top of the poly pots under the mulch. The supplies needed for this system include: 100 to 200 3-gallon poly pots, 100 feet of drip hose, 100 of regular garden hose and 2 to 3 cubic yards of mulch to cover the rows of pots. The group determined that we would require a tiller and shovels to prepare the site for planting. We prepared the site by first cleaning each row of existing vegetation and then using a tiller on each row to loosen the soil so that digging trenches would require less effort.

Throughout the project, the group constantly considered the budget because if the cost of the project reached too high it would become unlikely that KU endowment would be able to fund the project.

The 3-gallon poly pots make up the largest single expense for the project. Each pot costs around $1.50; the group will require100 to 200 total pots to complete the project, so the total cost of the pots will range from $150 to $300. The second largest part of the budget was cost of tilling and preparing the site. The costs of preparing the site were lessened because by our group decided to join together to do the tilling, rather than contracting it out. However, the cost of renting a tiller for several hours ran $100 to $200 of our total cost. The hose needed to complete the project will cost around $100. The cost of the trees totaled

$37. Finally, the project will need to consider the future costs of upkeep and maintenance, along with future budget demands. The total cost of the project for the next two years totals about $600 to $650.

With the support of KU Endowment, the Environmental Studies Department, and the hard work of willing students, the tree farm remains a very achievable goal.

Plans and Implementations

Over the course of the semester we had several objectives to complete for the project. Initially, our group underestimated the logistics of creating a student-run tree farm and thought the project would take little effort. We thought that we could start planting trees and creating the farm, but we soon realized

Tree Farm Group 8 that there were many implications and issues we needed to address first. The group had to address issues such as proposals, getting approvals by various people, obtaining support from the KU community, researching tree species, land, and most importantly, obtaining funding. Our project required much teamwork and outside meeting time in the library to address these issues in order to implement the actual project. Jeff Severin showed much enthusiasm for our project and offered to help the group out whenever we needed guidance. We also made a few trips to the KU Student Farm to gain insight on the operations of a student-run farm. Kim Scherman, the president of the Student Farm, also showed excitement about our project and only needed to see our proposal to help out. We provided these parties with a proposal and received the green light to actually begin the implementation of our ideas. We received approval from the

KU Student Farm to use some plots of land that Kim Scherman graciously allocated us. The KU Student

Farm also offered to help our group whenever its volunteers met, or whenever we announce that we need help for future actions.

One can locate the KU Student Farm at the Medicinal Plant Garden at East 1600 Road at intersection of Highway 40 in Douglas County. The plot of land the group acquired where we have planned to plant the seedlings and saplings spans over 100 square feet. We ordered trees from the

Missouri Department of Conservation because they promote sustainable green growing to the public. The group actually received a free shipment of another 100 trees, so our initial calculated numbers doubled.

The process of planting these young trees requires the group to clear the plot by tilling and making a trench where the group will later plant the trees. The group clears each incoming row by removing prairie grasses, weeds, compiled dead vegetation, and other local plants by hand or with a hoe. Once the group clears each tilling area on top, the tilling process begins. We rented a very easy to use tiller from Ace

Hardware for our initial plot set-up. It digs down deep into the soil and turns up the soil from beneath, making the soil very loose and soft. After many runs with the tiller, the group can then begin to shovel the excess dirt and move it to one side of the row. We have to meticulously carve the shape of the trench so it has a shape long enough and wide enough to contain the polypots. With the extra soil from the dug up trench, the group will up fill the polypots containing the seedlings. The polypots will sit at the bottom of

Tree Farm Group 9 the trench next to each other to save room, with a thin layer of soil on top of them and also all around them to hold them in place. On top of this we will have drip lines hoses that we will use to water once a week if needed. Then to top that all off, the group plans to place mulch on top of everything to keep the roots protected from weeds, moist and cold during warmer temperature spells.

In addition, we have made our own student group, the KU Student-Run Tree Farm, which currently has 9 members with 3 or 4 members who can help out in the summer. Next fall, Jake Taylor will act as the group’s president and will recruit others to help with the organization to make it durable in the future. Also, Kelly Kindscher has agreed to be our faculty club advisor, and has collected many seedlings for us to use in the upcoming seasons.

Achievements

Our group has worked since the beginning of the semester to accomplish the goals that we initially set for the Tree Farm project. After putting in time and effort, we have achieved many of the objectives that were laid out at the start of our project. The overarching goal of the Tree Farm group involves the establishment of a sustainable, student-run tree farm that can provide trees to the University of Kansas to use for landscaping purposes. In order to achieve this overarching goal, the group targeted some smaller goals that needed completion. These smaller goals included gathering information and educating our members on the methods for successfully running a tree farm, compiling a list of supplies, formulating a budget, drafting a proposal for KU Endowment to gain university funding, gaining permission to use land near the Student Farm site to grow trees, filing paperwork to become recognized as a student group on campus, and ordering a variety of seedlings for KU landscaping efforts on the university grounds.

Achieving the majority of these smaller goals will certainly help us reach our primary goal of developing a sustainable, student-run tree farm. Our group members have worked to educate themselves about the necessary proceedings that go into maintaining a successful tree farm and have done substantial research and located resources to aid in their understanding of tree farms. With the help of the resources

Tree Farm Group 10 we found, our group members have compiled a list of supplies essential to the tree farm operation. After having created a list of supplies, our group established a budget based on the overall approximate costs of purchasing those supplies. The next step was to draft a proposal for the KU Endowment Association to formally request funding from the University of Kansas. Our group worked collectively to compose and edit this proposal based on the information we had gathered about tree farm management, supplies, and costs. We have learned that KU Endowment will fund part of the project. We have also have successfully gained permission to utilize the land near the Student Farm. We filed paperwork establishing ourselves as an officially recognized student group on campus, and we have a number of seedlings ready to be planted at the Tree Farm site.

Long-Term Goals

The Tree Farm project will require quite a bit of initial work, but we see a successful future ahead.

As this project was started from scratch, the group requires a lot of effort to build momentum to maintain and carry on the project for years to come. This section of the paper will outline the future goals we would like to see shared by students many years from the project’s inception. After drafting a budget proposal, we found that financial assistance from KU endowment would be necessary for buying certain supplies. The members of the group did not personally have the monetary means to fund the entire project, so the first of our long-term goals involves the acquisition of initial financial assistance. We believe that with the catalyst of funding granted by KU Endowment, our plans will come to fruition and eventually reach a point requiring no additional aid.

The group also wants to establish a system beyond simply supplying the university with trees for landscaping and other purposes. The group would like to set up a method to sell the trees at non- competitive rates to Lawrence locals. This way, the tree farm would have a method of sustaining itself with respect to the money required to maintain it. This would offer the group a way to gain a return from their trees, since the group can purchase young trees for a low price. The group could use their trees for fundraising and other events. The group could also supply trees to non-profit organizations for little to no

Tree Farm Group 11 cost.

Though already mentioned, a goal we find important involves setting up a program to educate people - especially children and students - about environmentally friendly landscaping, and to provide information pertaining to native Kansas trees. This could be done by integrating the Tree Farm into already existing tours provided by the KU Student Farm, or as an independent project. We believe in the importance of educating the general population to improve attitudes towards nature and to combat the dissociation humans have with it.

Finally, we feel that in order for this project to succeed in years to come, we will need strong commitment by and participation from KU students. By becoming an official student group, the tree farm will likely gain an amount of support similar to that of the Student Farm, and become recognized as an integral part of KU itself.

Tree Farm Group 12

Works Cited

Boyer, Cheryl. Department of Horticulture and Forestry. Kansas State University. personal communication, February 2012.

Building Sustainable Traditions: University of Kansas Campus Sustainability Plan. Publication. 1st ed. 2011. KU Sustainability Center. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. .

"Container Production." North Carolina Cooperative Extension: Nursery Crop Science. NC State University. Web. 03 Apr. 2012.

Gunn, Andrea. "The Trees of Queen's: The Legacy of Project Green." Queensu.ca. Queen's University, 2010. Web. 2 Apr. 2012.

Horticulture Forestry and Recreation Resources. Kansas State University. Web. 02 Apr. 2012. .

"Pot-in-pot Nursery Production." University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. Ed. Win Dunwell. UK College of Agriculture, 2009. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. .

"Publications." Kansas Forest Service. 2012. Web. 03 Apr. 2012. .

"Successful Transplanting of Woodland Vegetation for Plant Salvage or Habitat Restoration Projects." Landowner Resource Centre, 2000. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. .

"Tree Planting And Care." Arbor Day Foundation. Web. 03 Apr. 2012. .

"Woodland Resources." American Tree Farm System. American Forest Foundation, 2012. Web. 03 Apr. 2012. .

Wilma, David. "Weyerhaeuser Dedicates the Nation's First Tree Farm near Montesano on June 21, 1941." HistoryLink.org. The Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History, 21 Feb. 2003. Web. 5 Apr. 2012.