UC Blue Ash college students help plant trees on campus | Environment

BLUE ASH, OH (FOX19) - Students at UC Blue Ash are helping bring new life to campus by planting nearly 60 trees during a recent project.

UC Blue Ash College needed to replace several Green Ash trees that were planted on the campus a dozen years ago as part of a landscaping plan.  Recently, it was discovered that Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive insect, had infested those trees causing damage that made it necessary to remove them.  Ohio is just one of 18 states and two Canadian provinces affected by the Emerald Ash Borer. 

A team of students and landscapers from UC Blue Ash College and the University of Cincinnati, led by Len Thomas, a senior planner from the UC office of Planning, Design and Construction, recently took on the challenge of replanting 59 trees on campus.

“This project was a great example of using planning and design to address an issue and, in this case, replenish some of the natural beauty the trees provide to this campus,” said Mr. Thomas.  “The students were great and helped make the tree-planting project fun and educational.”

The Ash trees were replaced with three different species of trees, 29 Bald Cypress, 15 seedless Sweet Gum, and 15 Saw Tooth Oak. They are all trees that can thrive in this climate and are not susceptible to the Emerald Ash Borer.  They are also an attractive addition to the approximately 900 trees that already spread across the 135-acre campus located on Plainfield Road in Blue Ash.

The new trees are symbolic of the growth that continues at UC Blue Ash College, one of the fastest growing colleges within the University of Cincinnati.  The college currently serves more than 6,000 students and recently added a new bachelors degree in Applied Administration as part of ongoing enhancements to the academic curriculum.