Since 2018, the University has planted 763 trees — bringing the total number of trees on campus to approximately 3,500. This represents a more than 20% increase in the number of campus trees during the last five years, excluding naturally wooded areas.

This work “makes campus more beautiful, but it’s more than just that,” says Landscape Project Manager Katy Jacobs. “We’re making campus more resilient.” Adding tree cover and increasing the diversity of tree species on campus helps make the campus more adaptable to extreme weather and climate change, she explains.

These efforts are a mixture of resilience and mitigation, adds Director of Sustainability John Pumilio. “As trees grow, they sequester carbon,” he says. “It’s part of a strategy to reduce the impacts of climate change by taking carbon out of the atmosphere.”

The following numbers are indicators of Colgate’s healthy campus, but they also demonstrate benefits for humans and animals. Forests purify the air, reduce soil runoff, provide cooling, mitigate storm impacts, and provide ecosystem services and habitats for wildlife. “A healthy tree canopy helps make the campus landscape more healthy, habitable, and enjoyable — which is good for physical and mental well-being,” Jacobs says.

Colgate Trees and Campus Impact

  • Most common species of trees on campus: Sugar maple, Norway spruce, Northern red oak
  • Pollution removal: 1,215 pounds/year
  • Carbon sequestration*: 22 tons/year
  • Carbon storage*: 1,830 tons stored in 2021
  • Oxygen production: 57.81 tons/year
  • Avoided runoff: 82,340 cubic feet/year
  • Bird species seen on and around campus: 81

*Pumilio explains carbon sequestration and storage as follows: “As trees grow, they’re pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and turning it into branches, roots, and leaves. They’re turning the carbon dioxide into carbon, the building material. They’re sequestering it. That becomes the storage. Each time [we’ve measured] our forest, the annual rate of sequestration increased, and our amount of storage continues to increase, which is an indicator that our forests continue to grow and mature.”

These data were analyzed using the i-Tree Eco model developed by the U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station. The data were last collected in 2021, so the numbers have likely increased some. “Trees are pretty slow growing, so we don’t anticipate tons of changes,” Pumilio says.

In addition to campus trees, Colgate has more than 1,000 acres of nearby forested land.