Happy trees

Posted by
On December 21, 2005
trees.jpg

To paraphrase the late painter Bob Ross, who made a living making landscapes come to life on public television, “Maybe a happy tree lives right over here…” Well, from crab apples to dogwoods, from oaks to maples, the UMR campus now has more than 3,000 happy trees.

No makeover would be complete without careful consideration of aesthetic concerns. While new buildings and renovation projects get the headlines in stories about UMR’s makeover, there has been plenty of attention paid to landscaping issues behind the scenes.
Here are some current figures related to green space on campus:

  • Flowers account for more than five acres
  • The campus has more than 25,000-square feet of mulched area
  • Last year, 200 mums were planted as part of the library’s landscaping improvements
  • More than 10,000 tulip bulbs are currently in UMR’s soil

Obviously, there are also a lot of people in this environment – students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. So, in addition to landscaping, UMR has been paying close attention to pathways and traffic issues as the campus grows. Campus parking lots now account for 30 acres and paved sidewalks cover approximately 600,000 square feet.

Then, there are the buildings. Workers on the Havener Center used 612 tons of steel, approximately 80,000 bricks and 81,000 linear feet of Internet cable during the building’s construction.

Fortunately, all of the raw materials and concrete are softened by a dedication to landscaping. And even as UMR continues to modernize, more green space can be envisioned. Like Bob Ross used to do, campus officials can look around at their landscape and say, “Maybe another happy tree lives right over here.”

Posted by

On December 21, 2005. Posted in Features, Winter 2005