Luther College Policy on Planting Recognition Trees

Luther College Policy on Planting Recognition Trees

We here at Luther are proud of our beautiful campus setting. We continually work to maintain a quality campus environment. In 1989 a campus master plan for Luther College was developed by Abrahamson, Inc., of Minneapolis, Minn., incorporating a plan for campus plantings that had been developed by the University of Wisconsin landscape architect John Harrington in1985. The campus master plan and the policy for campus plantings were developed to support the campus landscape plan created in 1910 for Luther by the famous prairie landscape architect Jens Jensen.

To preserve campus beauty and quality, a few simple guidelines have been established for recognition plantings:

1.A tree must be selected from an approved list and planted on a site identified on the campus master plan.

2.A donation of $500 is needed to cover the cost of acquiring and planting a recognition tree,and this gift will be receipted and acknowledged by Luther’s Development Office. The Development Office will notify Luther’s grounds management supervisor of the tree, area selected, and whether the donor, and/or family members and friends, will be present for the planting.

3.Donors, family members, and friends wishing to assist the grounds department in planting the tree are welcome to do so after making the appropriate arrangements through the Development Office.

4.The names of individuals honored by the planting of a recognition treesare recorded in the Development Office and shared on Luther’s Memorial/Recognition Trees web site.

5.Luther College does not provide assurance of survival for a recognition tree but will provide proper care. The college will replace a recognition tree if it dies within the first 5 years after it is planted. The college will, to the extent possible, avoid planting trees on sites that may be used at a later time for another purpose.

6.Tree planting will take place in the spring on a date in April, either Arbor Day or Earth Day, or a date close to these days, and in October on the first or third Thursday.

700 College Drive Decorah, IA

Tree Guide | Memorial or Recognition Planting

Trees that may be selected for planting on the Luther College campus as memorials or in recognition of a graduate or friend of the college:

Common Name / Latin Name / Location of Planting
Burr Oak / Quercus Macrocarpa / Upper Campus
Basswood / Tilia Americana / Along slopes
Black Maple / Acer Nigrum / With the Olson Hall plantings or lower campus; avoid maples elsewhere
Black Walnut / Juglans Nigra / Lower campus, along slopes
Hackberry / Celtis Occidentalis / Lower campus and near
buildings; avoid central campus
Ironwood / Ostrya Virginiana / 35’tree, good for small areas
where a shade tree is desired but space is inadequate for large trees
Kentucky Coffeetree / Gymnocladus Dioicus / Upper campus
Northern Red Oak / Quercus Rubra / Upper campus
Shagbark Hickory / Carya Ovata / Any location
Swamp White Oak / Quercus Bicolor / Lower campus only
White Oak / Quercus Alba / Upper campus
White Pine / Pinus Strobus / Small groves near buildings;
keep out of center campus

700 College Drive Decorah, IA