Virginia Tech ranks number one in the nation when it comes to Tree Campus USA tree planters. More than 900 Virginia Tech students, alumni, donors, and supporters signed up to become tree plant- ers at the Arbor day Foundation website, earning the university first place in the Tree Campus USA Root for Your Home Team contest. By registering more tree planters than the 73 other Tree Campus USA institutions, Virginia Tech will receive $2,500 in free trees to be planted on campus in the spring.

Individuals who sign up to become tree planters learn about tree-planting opportunities in their area, receive monthly updates on ways to make a positive impact on the environment, and are eligible to participate in other contests at the Arbor Day Foundation website.

To become a Tree Campus USA college or university, an institution must meet five core standards of tree care and community engagement: establishing a campus tree advisory committee, providing evidence of a campus tree-care plan, having dedicated annual expenditures on the campus tree plan, observing Arbor day, and offering service-learning projects aimed at engaging the student body. Virginia Tech was among the first nine schools designated as
a Tree Campus USA when the program, which is supported by Toyota, was established in 2008.

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