Tree Map Project

The school was founded in 1886 with funds given by lumberman and philanthropist Ammi W. Wright. Our Alma Mater refers to “jungle, grove and campus fair,” a reference to the natural areas from which our campus emerged. Our logo features a single pine bough, symbolizing the renewal of life. Even today, first-year students are giving pine tree seedlings to care for throughout their years at Alma. 

Tree Map Project

In the mid-1990s, Richard A. Roeper, professor emeritus of biology, initiated a project that resulted in the cataloging and mapping of Alma College’s trees.

In 2014, Alma alumnus David Buhl, one of Dr. Roeper’s former students, requested and received a grant that revived and enhanced that initial effort by providing funds for updating the tree map and developing an online resource concerning the native and horticultural varieties of trees growing on Alma’s campus.

The updated tree map includes identifying features of Alma’s tree specimens, their scientific and common names and GPS locations.

We invite you to take the walking tour across campus to experience the diversity of Alma’s trees.

The Alma College Tree Map

This project was supported, in part, by a grant from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Forest Resources Division, and the USDA Forest Service, State and Private Forestry Program.