MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Seated just steps from the lush green canopy of Walnut Grove on campus at Middle Tennessee State University, officials recently welcomed students, staff and community members for the unveiling of the newly designated Level II Arboretum.

Hosted by the Center for Energy and Sustainability, or CES, the April 16 event marked MTSU’s elevation from a Level I designation first earned in 2015 to a Level II status through the nonprofit Tennessee Urban Forestry Council, or TUFC.

“This arboretum has been in the works for years — even decades — across our campus, with multiple individuals championing the cause,” said Kristin England, sustainability manager for the Center for Energy and Sustainability, who helped lead the charge to garner the Level II designation by the forestry council. “Today, we celebrate not just the certification, but a growing, living resource for our entire campus.”

Kim Sadler, professor emerita in the Department of Biology, was part of the collaborative effort that was instrumental in the reclassification and welcomed the crowd as if it were her classroom.

“What’s one good thing a tree does? Oxygen, right? Trees also sequester carbon. But they do so much more than we often realize,” said Sadler, who pointed to the broader ecosystem supported by trees, noting that a single oak can sustain hundreds of species, from insects to birds. 

Through a campus collaboration — including a few squirrels who occasionally “redesigned” some of the tree signs — and support from student-funded Sustainable Campus Fee resources, the university expanded its arboretum to 73 labeled and mapped trees across the 500-acre main campus.

Each tree on the list is tagged with its common and scientific name and a QR code linking to additional information, part of a broader push to make the campus an interactive learning environment. Visit arboretum.mtsu.edu for full details.

England said the official process to achieve Level II status through TUFC began in September 2024. England worked with Kristen Hargis, assistant manager for CES; Sadler and Danielle Brown from the Biology Department; and Jason Young with MTSU Grounds and Greenhouse Services to solidify the reclassification.

Funding allowed teams across campus to tag trees, build a digital map and broaden educational access. The designation underscores the university’s role not only as a place of higher education, but also as a living laboratory.

“MTSU is a critical part of Murfreesboro’s urban forest canopy. That’s what makes it so unique,” said Neal Letson, a volunteer with TUFC who worked with the MTSU team to certify the arboretum. “You have the educational, research and long-term impact all in one place. Students are a critical audience — they’ll inherit this world, and having an arboretum right on campus gives them a meaningful, hands-on connection to it.”

Letson said MTSU now joins more than 170 certified arboreta statewide.

Following brief remarks, Hargis unveiled new signage recognizing the campus’s Level II status before Brown led the group on a half-mile walking tour highlighting about 17 tree species in Walnut Grove and around Old Main Circle.

Along the route, participants learned not only to identify species but also to understand their ecological value — from providing shade to supporting wildlife.

For England, the goal for the arboretum is simple: make the campus a place where learning extends beyond the classroom.

“There are so many amazing specimens on campus. Some are decades old while others were planted in recent years,” England said, including sweetgum, cedar, catalpa, oak, maple and cherry trees. “I encourage you to go explore and try to learn something new about our trees.”

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)