A breezy, cool morning didn鈥檛 deter more than 100 Georgia Southern students from trekking across Veterans Parkway to the new South Campus to help plant more than 1,000 slash pine tree seedlings in celebration of Arbor Day.Unlike National Arbor Day which is recognized in April, Arbor Day in Georgia is celebrated on the third Friday of February. Because of the more subtropical climate in the southeast, planting this time of year gives trees a better chance at survival. The day not only provides an opportunity to celebrate trees and the benefits they provide to the environment, but closer to home, it also gives students the opportunity to appreciate their campus, according to assistant professor of biology, Subhrajit Saha, Ph.D.鈥淭his event is not only celebration of trees or sustainability, Arbor Day connects the students to soil and nature. They are getting hands-on experience of planting trees and naming them,鈥� he said. 鈥淔ifteen to 20 years from now, when they come back as alumni with their family, they will see the how big the trees have become that they planted and named. It is like leaving a mark or a piece of them on campus that will remind and connect them better to the old college days and 糖心Vlog.鈥�The is located across Veterans Parkway near Lanier Drive. While the land is undeveloped, Saha said the trees will provide many benefits for the property as it is developed.鈥淎s the trees grow, they will create a live barrier from the road so we will have less noise, it鈥檒l provide a wind break, we鈥檒l have soil erosion reduction, it鈥檒l create a nice view and it will create a great habitat for biodiversity — more birds, small mammals and more,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ltogether this celebration is ecologically, environmentally and educationally an ideal thing to do.鈥� Interim University President Jean Bartels, Ph.D., RN, joined the celebration and helped plant the first seedling of the day. 鈥淚f you have been on our campus at any point in time, you know the beauty of our campus,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is full of green spaces and it鈥檚 a wonderful place to observe what happens when you take care of the environment in your area.鈥淕eorgia Southern has a long tradition of its association with trees,鈥� she continued. 鈥淲e have an official forestry place on campus that is a document to the fact that Georgia Southern is very dedicated to what happens with the environment. We plant trees every year, we鈥檝e done this for many years, and it鈥檚 a way to continue our legacy of building a beautiful, green campus and one that really celebrates trees.鈥� In addition to celebrating trees and helping beautify campus, Saha said the event aids students by giving them hands-on application of what they are learning in the classroom. 鈥淪ome of these students are taking classes in biology of plants, sustainable forestry, environmental biology and others, so they learn about trees and see tree management in pictures, but this is the time they get connected to nature, and this is a practical application of what they鈥檙e learning in class,鈥� he said, noting students also added mulch around the base of each seedling, expanding their hands-on experience even more. Kennard Sutton was among many students who picked up a shovel to help. He鈥檚 taken more than five classes with Saha, and has participated in the event since its inception in 2013. 鈥淭his event is important to me because we鈥檙e helping out. We鈥檙e helping out the environment itself, and helping it improve overall here in Statesboro,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ith us helping to plant new trees, it makes Statesboro look better overall and we also are helping out the future kids who come [to school] here so they might want to come and help out the environment too.鈥�The annual tree planting is a combined effort from Saha鈥檚 students, faculty and student 聽volunteers within the College of Science and Mathematics and other colleges on campus, the Division of Facilities Services and the Center for Sustainability. In past years, volunteers have planted trees on the banks of Beautiful Eagle Creek and on campus near the Lady Eagles鈥� Softball Fields. [pb_slideshow group=”2″]
