{"417451":{"#nid":"417451","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Trees on Campus Give Back to Tech","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech is known for a lot of things \u2014 world-renowned academics and research, entrepreneurial students and, of course, the legendary George P. Burdell. But did you know that Georgia Tech is also becoming recognized for its thoughtful stewardship of its trees?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s campus is home to more than 11,400 trees. While the most popular by far is the common crape myrtle, the campus hosts approximately 130 species of trees \u2014 adding value to many aspects of campus life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe trees on campus certainly add aesthetic value. Most first-time visitors to campus are really surprised to discover the abundance of trees and green spaces,\u0022 says Jason Gregory, senior educational facilities planner and landscape architect with Capital Planning and Space Management. \u201cBut the trees are important for other reasons too \u2014 namely their ability to help with our water conservation goals and reduce the campus\u2019 heat island effect, which ultimately helps conserve energy. As Tech moves forward with its sustainability agenda, the planning and management of our urban landscape will be key to our success.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s current landscape is a living product of the Landscape Master Plan, which dates back to 2006. It contains the prescriptions to construct a performance landscape by revitalizing the campus green space and using trees as a sustainable resource that gives back to the campus in many ways.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMost people don\u2019t realize how much planning and work it takes to maintain a campus like Tech. The campus was awarded the Professional Grounds Management Society certification last fall, which reflects our commitment on many levels to the concept of designing an urban landscape that is attractive, healthy, and sustainable,\u201d Gregory says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis care for Tech\u2019s living campus also sometimes requires the responsible removal of trees \u2014 for tree health, community safety, and the growth of campus. These culled trees are replaced, and when the opportunity presents itself, some trees can be recycled as is demonstrated in the Engineered Biosystems Building wooden staircase.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe trees keep giving in other ways too, including providing educational opportunities to the community. Gregory has presented plans for the Campus Arboretum to an Urban Forestry course in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and an Environmentalism and Ecocriticism course in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication. His office is also actively pursuing an arboretum certification, which by definition elevates Tech\u2019s green space to a living-learning laboratory.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition, Georgia Tech\u2019s Tree Campus USA committee has been maintaining data including the trees\u2019 species, height, canopy size, and health since 2012. In a partnership with the Center for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the College of Architecture, this data will be combined with other data, like the campus\u2019 stormwater metrics, to truly understand tree performance and help model and measure the campus landscape for many years to come.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMore information on Georgia Tech\u2019s Landscape Master Plan can be found on the Capital Planning and Space Management website: \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.space.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ewww.space.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E. Updates on Tech\u2019s arboretum certification will be announced this fall.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech is known for a lot of things. But did you know that Georgia Tech is also becoming recognized for its thoughtful stewardship of its trees?\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech is known for a lot of things. But did you know that Georgia Tech is also becoming recognized for its thoughtful stewardship of its trees?"}],"uid":"27164","created_gmt":"2015-07-06 15:06:07","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:18:45","author":"Rachael Pocklington","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-07-06T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2015-07-06T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"419431":{"id":"419431","type":"image","title":"White Oak at Tech Tower","body":null,"created":"1449254269","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 18:37:49","changed":"1475895157","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:52:37","alt":"White Oak at Tech Tower","file":{"fid":"202603","name":"white_oak_tech_tower_lawn.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/white_oak_tech_tower_lawn_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/white_oak_tech_tower_lawn_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5032136,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/white_oak_tech_tower_lawn_0.jpg?itok=z2klc82r"}},"419451":{"id":"419451","type":"image","title":"Recycled Wood Used for Engineered Biosystems Building Staircase","body":null,"created":"1449254269","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 18:37:49","changed":"1475895157","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:52:37","alt":"Recycled Wood Used for Engineered Biosystems Building Staircase","file":{"fid":"202604","name":"ebb_wood_stairs_ii.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ebb_wood_stairs_ii_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ebb_wood_stairs_ii_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2546280,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ebb_wood_stairs_ii_0.jpg?itok=XgkQ3G8r"}}},"media_ids":["419431","419451"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/space.gatech.edu\/landscapeplan\/","title":"Landscape Master Plan"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.space.gatech.edu\/landscapeplan\/assets\/StormwaterMasterPlan-BasinA.pdf","title":"Storm Water Master Plan"},{"url":"http:\/\/space.gatech.edu\/","title":"Capital Planning and Space Management"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2015\/02\/05\/georgia-tech%E2%80%99s-landscape-services-earns-accreditation-grounds-management","title":"Georgia Tech Earns PGMS Certification"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"129761","name":"arboretum"},{"id":"113","name":"landscape"},{"id":"350","name":"trees"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:rpocklington@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ERachael Pocklington\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}