By SHANNON O. WELLS
The dawn redwood tree on the Cathedral of Learning lawn is a natural magnet for students looking for a peaceful place to study and relax, but it’s likely that few who gather there realize the rich history behind the source of their shade.
“Dawn redwoods were thought to have been extinct for millions of years until a grove was discovered in China in 1944,” says Sam Chan, assistant director of Pitt’s Office of Sustainability, adding that museum fossil records were used to re-identify the species. “In 1947, Harvard scientists led an expedition to collect seeds from the remaining 1,000 trees and distributed them to universities and arboretums around the world. Pitt’s dawn redwood on campus is a direct descendant of those initial seeds.”
The origin of the dawn redwood, located behind the log cabin on Forbes Avenue close to the corner of the Cathedral, is among the fascinating stories and historical contexts one gets from taking part in the Campus Tree Trek. Presented by the Office of Sustainability, the self-guided tour program highlights the beauty of trees on Pitt’s Oakland campus and promotes the University’s commitment to expanding Pittsburgh’s tree canopy.
The 1-mile Tree Trek on and near the Cathedral of Learning grounds showcases 17 tree species described in detail on the Pitt Sustainability website. It takes about 20 minutes to complete. While the descriptions start at the Log Cabin on Forbes Avenue and head east, the trek can begin at any tree along the walking route, which highlights trees planted between 1830 and the mid-1980s.
Alongside more regionally common species such as red and sugar maple, river birch, and flowering dogwoods, the trek highlights relative rarities such as Japanese maple, cucumber and saucer magnolias, littleleaf linden, sweetgum and London planetree.
One of the oldest trees on campus is a 100-foot-tall northern red oak near Heinz Chapel that’s approximately 210 years old, Chan says. “According to the 2019 Pitt tree inventory, there are 168 oaks on our Pittsburgh campus, which support more caterpillar species than any other tree — over 500 — which in turn become important food for bird nestlings. Additionally, acorns (oak tree seeds) feed more than 100 American vertebrate species, making oaks a valuable food source for urban wildlife,” she says.
A Sustainability Office statement on the trek says trees are “integral to all University of Pittsburgh campuses, contributing beauty, stormwater management, ecosystem support, and mental health benefits. Being in nature or viewing greenery not only makes you feel better, it helps with cognitive function and promotes physical well-being.”
Campus Tree Trek joins Pollinator Week, an annual celebration of campus pollinator health held this year from June 19 to 25 — part of Pitt Sustainability’s summer programs lineup that combines outdoor activities with awareness and education.
“Celebrating our campus ecology through Pollinator Week events and the Campus Tree Trek are fun ways to learn about nature on our urban campus,” Chan says, adding that spending time outside in nature as opposed to a classroom offers many health benefits. “Studies have found that being surrounded by nature helps reduce stress, improves cognitive functions (and) cardiovascular health and promotes an increased sense of well-being. Campus greenspaces benefit environmental health along with the health and wellness of the whole Pitt community.”
Virtual and in-person events during June, which have included “Introducing Bees to Kids,” “Bumble Bees Across Borders” and “Make a Splash: Creative Butterfly Puddlers,” will continue with “Pollinators: Pitt to Porch” from 9:15 to 11 a.m. June 28. The pollinator tour will end at The Porch restaurant for a discussion of honey bees.
The Pitt campus is home to six gardens designed for pollinators and seven bee houses for native, solitary bees. “The greenspaces provide necessary foraging and nesting habitats for pollinator population, helping to reduce urban heat island effect and absorb stormwater runoff,” Chan says, adding the landscapes adhere to Pitt’s Sustainable Landscape Design Guidelines, including plantings, trees, green roofs, and edible, pollinator, and rain gardens.
Pollinator Week was first celebrated nationwide in 2008, when the U.S. Senate unanimously approved its creation. Chan called the vote a “necessary step” to address declining pollinator populations across the nation.
Pollinator Week emerged from Pitt’s Bee Campus USA designation in 2020. Since then, Chan said Pitt’s Pollinator Habitat Advisory Committee has worked to raise awareness and foster care for pollinators with the Pollinator Week celebration. The committee was established in 2019 to help the quality of campus environments support healthy, native pollinator populations.
In partnership with Pitt Grounds, the committee created the Campus Pollinator Habitat Plan, which oversees Pitt’s annual Bee Campus USA renewal process through the Xerces Society, and works to increase campus-wide education about the importance of pollinators, including the Pollinator Week celebration
Education doctoral student Meghan Orman, who used a Fulbright grant to do research in Iceland, created “Bumble Bees Across Borders” to highlight the differences and similarities of bumble bee populations in the U.S. and Iceland. Another committee member, Greg Null, assistant director for assessment and accreditation in the School of Medicine, hosts the “Pollinators and Rainy Days” workshop to teach others how to design a rain garden in their backyard that supports local pollinators, Chan says.
Chan says that summer programs like Tree Trek and Pollinator Week are a testament to Pitt’s “strong culture of sustainability,” reflected in the individuals from a range of academic and operational departments attending sustainability educational opportunities.
“We always emphasize that every person can truly make a difference by embedding sustainability into their sphere(s) of influence,” she says. “Summer programs are very enjoyable because they provide opportunities to connect with other passionate Pitt community members who may be otherwise occupied during the fall semester.”
Shannon O. Wells is a writer for the University Times. Reach him at shannonw@pitt.edu.
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