Thiel College hosting Presidents’ Tree Walk as part of statewide forestry appreciation event

Posted September 27, 2023 Print

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- As part of Walk in Penn’s Woods, a statewide coordinated event on the first Sunday in October, Thiel College will host a walk through campus to recognize the trees on campus that have been dedicated to each of the College’s presidents at 2 p.m. Oct. 1.

The walk begins at the William A. Passavant Memorial Center. It is free and open to the public. The terrain is easy, and the walk will be on sidewalks. It will be ADA-accessible. No registration is required to attend the walk. The walk accommodates strollers and wheelchairs; however, it is not considered appropriate for pets.

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources forester David Cole will also be in attendance for the walk. The College has had 20 presidents since it was founded in 1866. Selected trees pay tribute to each president. In addition, the walk will include the state champion sassafras on campus. The walk will be about one mile to view and discuss these trees. The walk will also cover a brief history of Thiel College and recent efforts to establish an arboretum on campus. Thiel College has more than 50 species of trees on campus. The state champion sassafras is approximately 90 years old. It shows up on a map drawn in 1939 when it was approximately 12 feet tall. Today, it’s 96 feet tall and 202 inches in circumference. While the sassafras tree meets the criteria for state champion status it has not been certified by PA Big Trees, a volunteer-run program of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association.

Thiel College was awarded 2022 Tree Campus Higher Education recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management for its fourth year of recognition.

Thiel College is one of 24 campuses in Pennsylvania to earn this distinction.

The Tree Campus Higher Education program honors colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation. Thiel College achieved this distinction by meeting Tree Campus Higher Education’s five core standards, including the establishment of a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance, and the sponsorship of student service-learning projects.

One of Thiel College’s oldest landmarks is Brother Martin’s Walk. The tree-lined walk was created in 1874. Classes were dismissed and Thiel faculty, students and staff planted the first 100-plus maple trees. At one time, there were 392 trees as part of the walk. These trees formed two rows and can be seen today on the main walkway on campus. Brother Martin’s Walk is is central to annual gatherings and celebrations. Students traditionally march with their entire class along that walk just twice, once during the opening convocation at the start of their first year and once during Commencement Exercises.