Indiana State University Newsroom

Indiana State University - home of the Sycamores and a Tree Campus USA - has added more than two dozen trees to its main campus and Sycamore Outdoor Center thanks to the efforts of TREES Inc. and a gift from Duke Energy.

TREES organized the gift of 100 trees to Indiana State and three other Terre Haute colleges in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of Duke and its predecessors, Cinergy and Public Service Indiana, in 2012.

TREES representatives joined college and university leaders in dedicating the trees Thursday, including two weeping Canadian hemlocks on the Indiana State University quad. Indiana State planted three other hemlocks around its Terre Haute campus and 20 hemlocks at the Sycamore Outdoor Center (formerly the Field Campus) near Brazil.

"Indiana State is always grateful for a gift that will improve our green canopy, which gives so many benefits back to us," said Stephanie Krull, landscape and grounds manager at Indiana State and a TREES Inc. member. "We are especially excited about the addition of the Hemlocks at our Sycamore Outdoor Center. They will provide an evergreen presence in the woodland, shady conditions, making the Outdoor Center beautiful in summer and winter."

Indiana State, Ivy Tech State College-Wabash Valley, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College officials have pledged to ensure that the trees will thrive and make a lasting contribution at their new campus homes.

TREES volunteers agreed to mark representative trees with signs that include a QR code that can be scanned with a smart phone to bring up a picture of the tree at full size, its scientific and common names, its growing properties, its fruits and seeds, the uses of the tree by Indians and later by pioneers, and its uses today. Each species of tree will also have its own web page on the TREES Inc. website, www.treesinc.org.

Marion Jackson, professor emeritus of biology at Indiana State and a recognized expert on Indiana trees, gave permission to use his recently published field guide, "101 Trees of Indiana," to provide accurate and scientific information about each tree.

"Because of the generosity of the Duke Energy Foundation, the Terre Haute area and the four colleges have each received a most valuable gift that encouraged them to adopt this project as their own and plan their trees in creative ways to best benefit their campuses," Sacopulos said. "This project, which has had to dodge two droughts and a flood to find survivable planting conditions, offers an outstanding example of bringing together industry, colleges and universities, and community volunteers for the good of all."

Terre Haute officials recently recognized Indiana State during the city's first Arbor Day Award Program with an Outstanding Educational Institution Award. The city also recognized Sacopulos and TREES co-founder Hank Metzger for "incredible tenacity and perseverance in germinating TREES Inc. from their roots."

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/Events/Events-by-Year/2014/Gift-of-Trees-to-Terre-Haute/i-KhbkNM6/0/2X/05_22_tree_donation-5069-2X.jpg- TREES Inc. member Judy Hogan sets in place a plaque recognizing a weeping Canadian hemlock tree on the Indiana State University campus as a gift from Duke Energy. (ISU/Tony Campbell)

Contact: Stephanie Krull, landscape and grounds manager, Indiana State University, 812-2;37-8160 or Stephanie.krull@indstate.edu