Every three years over the summer, a group of student researchers work with the Office of Sustainability and the Grounds Maintenance team to help audit and maintain the trees on Main Campus.

When most people think of an urban campus, they don’t often picture towering trees with lush, green canopies. However, according to data gathered by Temple University students, Main Campus is home to almost 1,300 trees from dozens of species, creating shade and removing over 800 pounds of pollution from the air each year.  

“Our campuses are these little ecosystems,” said Rebecca Collins, Temple’s director of sustainability. “In addition to creating a positive, healthy environment for humans, the trees provide food and shelter for different wildlife that's in an urban environment or maybe migrating through. So, it’s important to have both a large number of trees and a variety of species to support the needs of the creatures relying on them.” 

It’s equally critical to have a range of ages among the trees, explained Glenn Eck, associate director of grounds operations at Temple. “If you plant all the trees at the same time, after 40 years, they’ll all decline at the same time,” Eck said.  “So you have to take them all out and plant new trees. You really don’t want to set yourself up for that kind of cycle.” He added that a diversity of tree ages also spreads out the workload and cost of planting and maintaining them. 

Student researchers audit every single tree, verifying its size, age and species in cooperation with the Office of Sustainability and the Grounds Maintenance team. The data they gather is compiled into the Temple University Tree Map, an interactive digital map that also displays information about when trees were planted, when they were replaced, how much carbon they store, the amount of runoff water they help to avoid and more. Tree inventory datasets are also published by the Office of Sustainability. The students involved in measuring the trees gain experience performing hands-on research that directly impacts the surrounding environment, and they are introduced to what it’s like to conduct an ecological study. 

“I was looking for ways to take action about climate change,” said Philly native M.J. Droz-Santiago, a senior EcoRep and environmental science major with a concentration in applied ecology. “It felt like it was a good first step into the career that I’m projecting to work in.” 

As the students systematically work their way through every tree on campus, they take note of the height of each tree, the circumference of its trunk, the diameter of its canopy, and its genus and species.  

Right now, the Office of Sustainability is investigating if and how Temple’s trees can contribute to offsetting a small portion of the university’s carbon emissions. 

“This is a great opportunity for students,” Collins said. “It provides them with real research and field experience.”