by David Mair, staff writer
Trees on upper campus have taken leaf, making upper campus a little more bare.
Trees across campus have been cut down because of disease and weather.
Prior to Christmas, the tree taken down near Red Square was beginning to lift out of the ground. Facilities management took the tree down because there was fear of it falling on a student.
Another tree by the library fell down during January. The tree was diagnosed with a fungus by an expert brought in by Facilities management.
Several other trees surrounding Red Square have been removed in the past weeks because of similar fungal conks found at the base of the trees. The same trees barely endured a severe ice storm that occurred in 2011.
All trees that have been removed so far were both Gleditsia Triacanthos, commonly referred to as Honey Locust, a deciduous tree native to the Pacific Northwest region.
Many students have been concerned with the sudden uproot of trees.
“Removing the trees will make the campus look ugly and the beauty of the campus is one of the main reasons I came here,” first-year Tori Henning said. “I hope more trees are planted.”
Fortunately, “there is a plan to grind the stumps and to replant the area with different species,” grounds maintenance specialist, Kenneth Cote said.
To learn more on the continuing matter, contact Facilities management at their website: http://www.plu.edu/facilities-management/
