WCBC

April 11th, 2018 by WCBC Radio

Allegany College of Maryland will observe Arbor Day on Wednesday, April 18, with a presentation on the value of trees in the urban environment, a presidential proclamation and a campus tree planting. The public is invited to participate.

The event, which starts at noon, features a talk by Mike Ronayne, urban forester with the city of Charlottesville, Va., and a 2008 graduate of ACM’s forest technology program.

In “The Importance of Trees in Urban Areas,” Ronayne will discuss the aesthetic, environmental and quality-of-life benefits of trees in commercial districts and residential neighborhoods.

In addition to his primary duties with Charlottesville’s Parks Department, Ronayne assists the city’s Tree Commission in its efforts to protect and improve the urban tree canopy on public rights-of-way and property.

After completing ACM’s associate degree in forestry technology, the Ellicott City native worked with Davey Tree Expert Co. as a climber, plant health care technician and tree crew foreman in Annapolis and Washington, D.C.

He later worked with The Care of Trees, another professional arboricultural firm, as a sales and service coordinator in Alexandria, Va. He left tree care for a period in 2013, when he hiked the Appalachian Trail.

Others on the Arbor Day program include Marie Perrin-Miller, ACM assistant professor of plant sciences, who will serve as master of ceremonies, and ACM’s president, Dr. Cynthia Bambara, who will offer a proclamation on the college’s commitment to trees and the environment.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources staff will demonstrate proper tree-planting techniques with assistance from forestry students and faculty members.

The Arbor Day celebration includes a major effort to increase the tree canopy on campus with the planting of 70 trees in a buffer area along a tributary stream of Evitts Creek. Maple, oak, poplar and redbud are among the species to be planted.

The project, beside the campus’ main entrance at Willowbrook Road, underscores ACM’s commitment to environmental sustainability and illustrates the value it places on the importance of trees.

The college’s Campus Tree Committee, which is spearheading the Arbor Day activities, has partnered with the Rotary Club of Cumberland in a sustainability initiative to plant a tree for each Rotarian.

Financial support was provided by the club and DNR’s urban and community forestry grant program. Some of the trees will be planted as part of ACM’s Arbor Day observance.

Most, however, will be planted on Saturday, April 21, in a community service project involving Rotary club members and local Boy Scouts of America troop members.

The college’s Arbor Day celebration and the service-learning projects that surround it reinforce ACM’s Tree Campus USA status from the Arbor Day Foundation, which was first obtained four years ago.

The distinction recognizes colleges and universities for promoting healthy trees, increasing the tree canopy and conserving natural resources. It is shared by just four other Maryland institutions of higher education, and ACM is the only community college in the state with Tree-Campus USA status.

ACM’s Arbor Day event, in the Science Building, is coordinated by the college’s Campus Tree Committee in collaboration with ACM’s Physical Plant. Light refreshments will be served.

For more information contact Perrin-Miller at 301-784-5256 or mperrin@allegany.edu. Information is also available on the ACM website, www.allegany.edu.