Our Sustainable Campus - Removed trees will be replaced

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By Brandon Watson
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Looking around, growth on campus is evident.
Western is nearing the pinnacle of another boom in construction. Current development is altering the green spaces and skyline to which we were accustomed.
 
In certain areas of campus, we are witness to craters and trenches being dug to supply utilities, infrastructure, and services to new buildings. In the most recent Globe & Mail University Report Card, surveyed students gave Western's campus top grades for both Attractiveness of Campus and Amount of Green Space. Jeopardizing that reputation to accommodate the need for new facilities is something President Paul Davenport says he is not prepared to do.
 
“Western is known as one of Canada's most beautiful university campuses. It is an important principle of our planning that the integrity of the natural environment be respected and that all of our construction complements the overall campus concept of open space," says Davenport.
 
As expansion continues, the emphasis on enhancing our natural features and tree planting has never been more critical.
 
The 2007 edition of the Campus Master Plan, which articulates space planning principles, documents Western's commitment to the preservation of natural features. The section titled, The Best Experience for Western's People reads that “when it is necessary to remove trees, they will be replaced in numbers equal or greater to the trees being removed." It also specifies that all attempts will be made to use species native to the region when considering new landscaping projects.
 
“Our planting program reflects the status of the campus as a designated arboretum, which we intend to enrich and diversify as we pass it to future generations who will work and study here," says Davenport.
 
Construction of the new Student Services Addition adjacent to the UCC has resulted in 32 trees being uprooted, according to Physical Plant Project Manager Fred Janzen. He acknowledges a fine line exists between facilities growth and preservation of natural spaces.
 
In line with the Master Plan, the proposed landscaping plan around the completed addition will include replacing all removed trees along with the addition of 20 more. He points out that hundreds of shrubs and grasses will also be planted.
 
“One of the ultimate benefits of strategic landscaping," says Janzen, “is the ability for us to plant native fauna. It allows us to improve the natural environment by adding indigenous plants and trees, resulting in healthy vegetation with less dependency on artificial support, such as, subsidized watering, fertilizing, and maintaining."
 
The pride that comes with being a member of the Western community is largely due to the integrity in academics and stunning aesthetics. With careful consideration, construction on campus is being conducted with the emphasis on enhancing those qualities.
 
  The writer is a communications officer in the Physical Plant.
 

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