Samford University was named a Tree Campus High Education institution for its work promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation. The university received the recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation.

In a letter to the president, the organization praised the university, writing, “your campus trees provide spaces of refuge and reflection.”

To obtain this distinction, Samford met the five core standards for effective campus forest management, including 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.

Samford has historically protected and nourished the environment through planting trees. The university has even partnered with local organizations like the Homewood Environmental Commission and the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.