Williams has been designated as a 2024 Tree Campus by the Arbor Day Foundation. This is the second year the college has received the honor, which recognizes dedication to enhancing community well-being through tree education, investment and community engagement.
The college’s 450-acre campus is home to more than 2,700 trees, according to Williams’ campus tree inventory, developed and maintained by Landscape Ecology Coordinator Felicity Purzycki. (The inventory doesn’t include Hopkins Forest.) In addition to informing campus initiatives involving tree planting, construction and conservation, the inventory is also a tool for students conducting research or engaging with ecology through clubs for beekeepers, birders and sustainable gardening.
In a profile written for the Zilkha Center for the Environment last March, Purzycki discussed the variety of functions trees perform on campus, whether absorbing carbon dioxide out of the air or providing a shady spot to hang a hammock. “Plants, both woody (think trees and shrubs) and perennial plants, grasses, and ground-covers, can provide ecological benefits such as supporting butterflies, moths, and other insects through their life-cycle stages, birds, small and large mammals,” she said. “In addition to environmental benefits of carbon sequestration, they can help with diverting rainwater from storm-water drains, removing harmful particulates from the air, and other human health and social benefits. All while being aesthetically pleasing.”
In April, Williams will hold its second annual Arbor Day celebration, something the foundation looks for when selecting schools, colleges and universities, and health care facilities as Tree Campuses. Other requirements include maintaining an advisory committee, setting a campus tree care plan, verifying annual investment in the plan, and creating a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body.
“Trees have the power to inspire learning and improve well-being,” stated Arbor Day Foundation VP of Programs Michelle Saulnier in recognizing Williams. “By growing campus green spaces, forward-thinking higher education leaders like Williams College are cultivating vibrant learning communities that also benefit the greater environment.”
Learn more about the designation and the Arbor Day Foundation at arborday.org.
Published March 21, 2025