Collge of Southern Idaho earns Tree Campus USA designation

The College of Southern Idaho is now a Tree Campus USA designation, a recognition coming from the Arbor Day Foundation.

The announcement was made at the annual Arbor Day tree planting event on Monday.

The campus had to meet five requirements to receive the recognition; first the college must have a tree advisory committee made up of students and staff, second a tree care plan must be in place, third a minimum of expenditures of $3 per student the school has to spend, fourth the school must celebrate Arbor Day, and fifth have learning projects that promote student engagement.

"The canopy that we have here is a value to Twin Falls, to see this recognized is a big deal," said CSI horticulture assistant professor Chance Munns. "Also now on campus we can be stewards of those trees and have a role of keeping them alive for a long time."

Students,staff and community members gathered behind the Herrett Center and planted individual trees to recognize three founding members of the center forum.

The following honorees were Allan Frost, Paul Smith and Gary Babbel.

Munns also gave a small presentation on how to correctly plant them and said CSI now joins other designations in Magic Valley that have been recognized as tree cities.

"City of Twin Falls, Filer, Buhl, Burley, Kimberly they're all tree cities and Twin Falls is a tree county as well. It's cool to be now part of that family of communities," Munns said.

The campus does have to apply each year to be recognized as a Tree Campus USA.

Arbor Day is officially on April 26.