LORAX CRIES: DOZENS OF TREES COME DOWN ON CAMPUS
photò by Collin Berend
BY SAM WESTON
Loraxes and squirrels beware: trees are
coming down at Clackamas Community
College.
Oregon is famous for its trees and CCC
is no different in providing the same
atmosphere for its students, but some
are getting the eviction notice on campus.
The school is currently executing plans to
remove dozens of trees around campus
for construction and renovation projects
over the summer. Some plans have been
completed but there are more to come.
So being an environmentally friendly
campus; what gives? Why the trees?
In an email sent out toCCC staff, Dean
of Campus Services Bob Cochran included
the full plan. There are five areas around
campus that are being planned for tree
removal: Dye Learning Center, Family
Resource Center, Environmental Learning
Center, Dejardin/Pauling Science Complex
and the largest area being hit is the Barlow
parking lot for the Industrial Technical
Center construction project happening
in the near future.
“We have a very vibrant culture here on
campus with trees and we want to save
as many as possible,” said Cochran.“ So
we don’t take removal of trees lightly, but
sometimes if the trees are either in the
way of a constructionproject or they’re a
, safety concern, like the Dye project or if
they’re diseased, (it) will cause a problem
if we don’t remove them .”
When asked about the safety concern
around the Dye Learning Center, Cochran
said that an unknown individual had
been using the trees for shelter and food
storage. Head of Campus Safety Pete
Kandratieff stated that they were the ones
that found the individual. I
“ We made the suggestion and campus
services did an a sse ssm e n t,” said
Kandratieff. He also confirmed it was an
isolated incident.
Thè Dye Learning Center trees have
been removed and the Family Resource
Center and Dejardin/Pauling Science
Complex w ilfbe completed within the
next week. The ITC/Barlow removal will
begin later this month in preparation to
the building’s construction and the ELC
project will take place in the summer.
With allof the removal, however, much
of the trees in the Barlow parking lot and
around the new ITC will be replanted.
Campus services has consulted with many
arborists about the project. Horticulture
instructor Rodney Walters gave insight
into what an arborist does for these kinds
of projects.
“The purpose of an arborist is to inform,
educate and provide options for meeting
client objectives,” said Walters, “ They do
. a wide range of things from plant health
care to tree diagnostics, risk assessment,
mapping, sales, supervision and removals
as w ell.”
With all the steps being taken to ensure
the tree culture on cam pus rem ains
in tact, we can see this is only a small
price. Many trees will be replanted after
the projects are finished and some of
the cut down trees will be used for an
amphitheater and bridge decking project
in the near future.
So to any squirrels being affected, don’t
worry, theré are plenty more trees on
campus that are here to stay.
pfroto by Merari Calderon Ruiz