Cameron University will commemorate Arbor Day with the planting of six Eastern Redbud trees on the Lawton campus. The redbuds will be planted adjacent to Nance-Boyer Hall on Wednesday, March 24, at 1 p.m.
“The Eastern Redbud, known in botany by its scientific name Cercis canadensis, is native to Oklahoma and thrives in the Oklahoma climate and throughout zones 4 to 8,” says Dr. Terry Conley, a member of Cameron’s Tree Care Advisory Committee. “It is an easily grown tree that prefers well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. It is well-known for its pink flowers that appear in the early spring, and is a popular ornamental tree that adds vibrant color to the Cameron campus.”
The Eastern Redbud was chosen as the state tree of Oklahoma in 1937. The first Arbor Day was observed in Nebraska in 1872, when an estimated one million trees were planted, and is now observed in all 50 states on varying dates that align with optimal tree planting times. In Oklahoma Arbor Day tree plantings have occurred since as early as 1890, and Arbor week is observed in the state during the last week of March each year.
Cameron University was recently recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree Campus Higher Education university for 2020, and has been recognizes as such since 2013. This annual Arbor Day tree planting meets one of the required criteria for this recognition. Cameron University has been adding trees to the campus landscape for many years, and has now planted well over 1,000 trees on the campus.
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PR#21-027
