UK Ready for Mulch Madness
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 4, 2016) — March Madness ends tonight, but Mulch Madness is just beginning.
Last fall, students, faculty and staff at the University of Kentucky all pitched in for “Mulch Madness” in the landscaped grounds surrounding William T. Young Library. Working with UK’s Physical Plant Division, which provided wheelbarrows, gloves, shovels, rakes and mulch, the dedicated volunteer group created mulch buffers for about 70 trees.
This effort is a major part of a commitment to tree care on campus and UK’s recognition as a Tree Campus USA for the fifth consecutive year. To be designated a Tree Campus USA school by the Arbor Day Foundation, UK must meet five standards. Mulch Madness satisfies the service-learning standard.
From 2-6 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, faculty, staff and student volunteers will pick up where they left off last fall, with the goal of mulching all of the trees around Young Library again. For the Mulch Madness flyer and to sign up for the event, visit https://ukntrees.ca.uky.edu/events/mulch-spring-2016-form.
Mulch provides many benefits to trees. The right amount of mulch can provide moisture, nutrients and oxygen, which are all vital to the growth of healthy tree roots. Mulch acts as a soil temperature regulator, which helps protect trees during frosts by warming roots and cooling roots during dry, hot weather. At Mulch Madness, volunteers will learn how to properly mulch a tree and why this matters.
Over five years, the mulched trees around the library will produce $25,000 in benefits: reducing carbon dioxide, filtering 3.5 million gallons of rainwater and providing a home to wildlife, among other benefits.
Organized by UK's Urban Forest Initiative in partnership with the Campus Physical Plant Division (PPD) and the Office of Sustainability, Mulch Madness is part of UK's efforts to maintain its status as a Tree Campus USA. UK was first designated a Tree Campus by the Arbor Day foundation in 2011 and has been awarded the status each year since.
Tree Campus USA helps colleges and universities around the country establish and sustain healthy community forests. To be recognized, institutions must establish a campus tree advisory committee, a campus tree care plan, a campus tree program with dedicated annual expenditures, an Arbor Day observance, and a service-learning project.
UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue
MEDIA CONTACT: Gail Hairston, 859-257-3302, gail.hairston@uky.edu