Understanding the health and carbon absorption of trees on campus is vital to BC’s commitment to improving the environment.

Beginning in the summer of 2008, the Boston College Office of Sustainability and Energy Management has endeavored to determine the carbon footprint,or the measurement of carbon dioxide emission, of the entire campus. As a part of this ongoing project, teams of two students each have been taking  measurements concerning the amount of carbon that trees on campus sequester.

Over the past two summers,the students studied the species,health, and environmental benefits,of the trees on the Brighton and Chestnut Hill campuses.They used tools to identify the characteristics of the trees, including books and measuring devices, such as a klinometer,which functions to determine the height of the trees. When examining the health of the trees, students looked for fungus,cracks, and cavities. In the process,the most important equipment the students utilized were handheld GPS devices that assisted in locating specific trees.Using the GPS, the students also logged questions about the leaves, barks, and seeds.

The study supports the initiative of Boston to plant 100,000new trees by 2020. The university hopes transcribe the data about the trees on campus within city limits.  Furthermore, the project comes as part of the Boston College Institutional Master Plan.The Office of Sustainability and Energy Management has looked at the amount of electricity, heat,and use of Boston College vehicles,including maintenance vans and BCPD patrol cars, all of which increase the size of the carbon footprint. In addition to the trees, the office inspected the efforts to recycle and compost food in the dining halls, which are other methods of decreasing the footprint.

As Deirdre Manning, the Director of Sustainability and Energy Management, explains,“The calculation of the carbon footprint as of June was a large number, which is not surprising.We are 219 acres and have 6.5million square feet of building space. We are a small city for all intents and purposes. We experience a lot of activity on campus everyday.”

“The number of trees on campus is not an awful lot in comparison to other schools like Virginia Tech,which has a lot more space. It is still important,however,that we are bringing this issue to people’s attention,”Manning elaborates.

Dr. John Ebel, Director of the Weston Observatory at Boston College and a professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics,who is not associated with the project, agrees. “It is always important to promote environmental awareness, improve our waste and energy output,and get people involved. This project is very, very good.”

“Many people think, ‘I’m just one little person. What can I do to improve the environment?’The fallacy in this thinking is that if everyone does something,we can greatly improve the environment.This project is one step in the right direction. If every university, every landowner,every person calculated their carbon footprint, the impact would be huge,” Ebel believes.

Manning says that the importance of the project in relation to the Master Plan also lies in the involvement of students.“The project is great because it incorporates the educational mission. It involves students and allows them to serve BC in a worthwhile endeavor. They are helping BC by providing valuable information through action.”

The university is also looking at ways to integrate the project into the curriculum. Two professors in the Biology Department,Colleen Hitchcock and Serena Moseman, are new to the project and are hoping to turn it into a class activity. In an e-mail, Moseman expressed here enthusiasm for the project and wrote, “I’ve just invited a student who is involved to visit my Ecology lab class. He will show them how they can participate in the Cstorage calculations for trees on campus.”

Thus far, students working on the project have measured over 4,000 trees. During the upcoming summer and fall, the  trees on the Newton campus will be calculated. For more information on energy and conservation at Boston College, visit the Office of Sustainability andEnergy Management website at www.bc.edu/sustainability and www.bc.edu/dormenergy, which describes energy use on campus.