Wednesday, December 2, 2020
CVTC Students Plant Trees at Mt. Simon Park
Service-learning project part of Tree Campus USA activities
Led by instructor Matthew Staudenmaier, CVTC Landscape, Plant and Turf Management students observe and learn about the proper technics for planting trees during a service-leaning project at Mount Simon Park in Eau Claire when the group planted three trees in October.
Chippewa Valley Technical College part time Horticulture instructor Matthew Staudenmaier joked to his students that “combat pay” would be reflected in their paychecks after a tree planting service-learning project at Eau Claire’s Mount Simon Park in October. The park includes a disc golf course, and as the students were planting three trees, “A lot of discs were flying around,” Staudenmaier, who is also the forester for the city of Eau Claire, said.
The tree planting was part of the requirements for CVTC to maintain its Tree Campus USA designation from the National Arbor Day Foundation. Normally, a tree planting as part of an Arbor Day observance in the spring is held at CVTC, but with the COVID-19 lockdown the requirement was waived. However, the class was able to do it this fall, observing social distancing measures.
“The tree planting was a great service-learning project,” Staudenmaier said. “We planted three trees near the Disc Golf Course. The students broke into small groups and helped with the entire process of planting the trees.”
The tree planting was also an instructional event. “We described why planting depth is critical, the importance of taking the ‘packaging’ off the trees before installing, why watering is so important in the transplant, and how soil amendments, elixirs and mulch effect the site,” Staudenmaier said.The students planted American elm and beech trees, Staudenmaier said.
The elm trees are a Dutch elm disease resistant variety, he added.
“There are quite a few cultivars of Elm available that have shown resistance,” Staudenmaier said. “Some are true American elms, others are hybrids that gain resistance. There are dozens of Elms now commercially available and they range in size and shape from small ornamentals to large monumental size elms that people remember from years ago.”
CVTC has been recognized as a Tree Campus USA for five consecutive years. The national program honors colleges and universities for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation.
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