College Earns Tree Campus Title
April 16, 2025 - 07:32 PM
For the third year in a row, Mt. SAC has the distinction of being named a 鈥淭ree Campus Higher Education鈥� by the Arbor Day Foundation.
The college has plenty to be proud of when it comes to its trees. Spawning across 420 acres, the campus is home to over 3,000 trees representing 214 distinct species.
Sixteen California colleges and universities are 鈥渢ree campuses鈥� and Mt. SAC is one
of only three California community colleges to earn the special recognition. Mt SAC
met five standards including the establishment of a campus tree advisory committee,
evidence of a campus tree care plan, and the creation of a service-learning project
aimed at engaging the student body.
If Mt. SAC鈥檚 trees had a fan club, there鈥檚 no doubt that one of its biggest supporters would be Eera Babtiwale, the college鈥檚 director of Sustainability.
鈥淭hey are part of our community, and you could say they are part of our family鈥hey are more than just ornamental,鈥� said Babtiwale. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e literally an organ to this campus. Our trees support every aspect of our daily lives. They are these things of beauty for sure but it鈥檚 astonishing how much work they are doing in the background.鈥�
That work includes removing pollutants from the air which supports lung health, providing shade and humidity which combats heat island effect, and capturing storm water which replenishes local aquifers. According to a study conducted in 2022, the college鈥檚 trees capture nearly 26 tons of carbon per year and remove nearly 1 ton of pollution.
Beyond these benefits, research shows that being around trees helps reduce blood pressure and stress and may even help the immune system. Babtiwale said having an urban forest is a vital resource too for those students who live in areas where green space or shade is limited or nonexistent.
鈥淧eople come to Mt. SAC certainly because of the education but what we also don鈥檛 realize is that the college is giving them access to a lot of basic resources (clean air, clean water, shade) that we otherwise take for granted,鈥� she said, adding that Mt. SAC has the ability to serve as a model for other colleges to follow. 鈥淭here are so many campuses in Southern California, Los Angeles and Inland Empire that could benefit from trees. If we could become a tree campus, it鈥檚 within reason that others could too.鈥�