Truman Wins Arbor Award of Excellence

The Missouri Department of Conservation awarded Truman the Arbor Award of Excellence in the Business/Institutional category March 8 in St. Joseph, Mo.

The award recognizes an outstanding community forestry project implemented in the last two years by a commercial entity or institution. The April 2015 project was undertaken as a group effort between Truman, the city of Kirksville, K-12 schools and the Environmental Club.

Criteria for judging included: size of affected area or percentage of the community forest involved; effectiveness of the tree care work, event or program; clarity of information; use of sound tree-management principles; innovation/uniqueness; and sustained effort.

Truman also was honored with 2015 Tree Campus USA recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management.

Tree Campus USA is a national program created in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals. Truman achieved the title by meeting Tree Campus USA’s five standards, which include: maintaining a tree advisory committee; a campus tree-care plan; dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program; an Arbor Day observance; and a student service-learning project.

The Arbor Day Foundation is a million-member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees.