Like WSU students for decades before, the Class of 2024 is planting a tree to commemorate their graduation.
The tree planting, organized by the Environmental Science Club, is scheduled to begin at the Presidential Arboretum by 5:30 p.m. Friday to celebrate National Arbor Day, according to ESC Co-President Sarah Olson. Students will meet at Ferdinand's Ice Cream Shop at 5 p.m.
“Each year, a tree is planted to represent our graduates,” said ESC Co-President Jahaniya May Angelique Myers.
The tree planting is a celebration of graduates and is free for all to attend, but Olson said the event is aimed at students in the School of Environmental Studies.
Olson said alumni are planting trees to commemorate their accomplishments at WSU and to make the arboretum more beautiful for future visitors.
Project Manager Cynthia Arbor said WSU has been planting class trees since late April 1980 to honor graduates and, more recently, to celebrate National Arbor Day.
Myers said students will vote on the species to plant and help plant trees at the event.
Olson said tree planting is not just an event done by the School of Environmental Studies, but the ESC helps promote the event and also accepts student votes.
Arbor said the Campus Landscape Advisory Committee is developing a list of candidate species for the class tree based on each candidate's suitability to the site and educational benefit to the campus.
The four tree species choices were Persian Parrotia, which is not native but grows well in Pullman. Incense cedar is an evergreen tree native to the mountains of northern California, and is already growing on campus. Hawthorn trees are native to the Palouse, and several are available at the arboretum. According to Myers, it is a mountain ash native to the East Coast of the United States.
Olson said the students are planting their second choice, mountain ash, because joss cedar is not available at local nurseries.
“We can only plant one tree,” Olson said.
Some representatives from the ESC and the arboretum will also be in attendance at the event, Olson said. The arboretum sources the trees, groundskeepers dig the holes for the trees, and ESC runs the event.
Arbor said on-site staff will be responsible for caring for the trees until they have grown for about two to three years. The arboretum plans to add a plaque stating that the tree honors his Class of 2024.
Myers said the idea for planting the trees came from the Tree Campus Higher Education program, which is part of the Arbor Day Foundation.
“Each year we report the number of trees planted on campus,” Arbor said.
In addition to the class tree, students are planting a commemorative tree at Palouse Ridge Golf Course this year, Arbor said.
According to the Arbor Day Foundation, WSU has recognized the Tree Campus Higher Education program for the past nine years.
“The goal is to make this an annual event every spring,” Myers said.
