Tree Campus Healthcare Standards

Standard Description:

Each qualifying facility must convene an Advisory Committee of at least three members, representing a mix of campus professionals, employees, healthcare providers, and community stakeholders. The committee advises on tree care, promotes tree-health awareness, and plans community and patient/staff tree activities 

Your team must include at least three members, and when possible, should include representatives from the following groups: 
 

• Facility managers 

• Grounds managers 

• Administrators 

• Marketing, communications, or community relations staff 

• Community benefit staff 

• Healthcare providers 

• Patients, patient advocates, or residents 

• Community forestry advocates or officials 

While responsibility for care of trees at the facility may ultimately lie with the facility grounds manager, the Advisory Committee can provide input on future plantings and advocate for a sustainable tree care plan for the campus. It can also develop plans for community events and projects, promote experiences with trees and forests for patients and staff, and conduct outreach in the community on the benefits of trees to human health. 

Meeting the Standard:

Your advisory committee should reflect a mix of voices connected to patient care, grounds management, communications, and community health. You don’t have to start from scratch. Many facilities begin by expanding an existing green team, sustainability council, or wellness committee to include a focus on trees and green space. While structures may vary based on your facility’s size or system, most committees meet at least once per year to review your goals, plan outreach or engagement projects, and ensure alignment with broader health and sustainability strategies. Including outside partners, such as city foresters, local nonprofits, or public health departments, can help strengthen your efforts and broaden community impact. 

On Your Application You Will:

Provide contact information for up to five Advisory Committee members at your facility. 

Qualifying plans will govern management practices, both for staff and contractors. It will describe standards for managing trees, with planned schedules for treatments, such as pruning, fertilizing, integrated pest management (IPM) practices, planting and removals. The Plan is a permanent feature of the program, but is a living document, so we suggest that the Plan be updated at least every five years. 

For facilities with little or no landscape space for trees on their own property (due to building footprints and mandated parking requirements), facilities may craft a plan for the street, boulevard, or park trees near or adjacent to the campus. In such cases, the facility must take on some level of active engagement for tree management activities, through written agreement with the local municipal authority. Start by identifying what tree care policies or practices already exist. Often, your facilities or grounds team will have helpful documents you can build from. 

Tree Care Plan Template

Standard Description:

The facility will lead one or more community forestry projects during the year, including tree planting, tree maintenance, tree inventory, tree monitoring, and other practices in the community. Activities may occur on private or public property and involve either employees or volunteers, so long as community residents benefit from the project.  

Projects must be sponsored in some way by the healthcare facility, either through direct expenses or in-kind services, such as volunteer time. Projects on city property must be coordinated with appropriate city departments and conform to best practices for tree planting and care. 

Meeting the Standard:

Start by meeting with your Campus Advisory Committee and brainstorm ideas for your project. Projects can include tree planting, maintenance, inventory, or monitoring - anything that improves or supports trees in the broader community. You might partner with a neighborhood group, city forestry department, or local school to identify where trees are needed or how your support can make an impact. 

This standard offers flexibility, so your event can be as simple or creative as you’d like. Celebration events can be held wherever the community Arbor Day observance is held, or even on campus when the event is open to the public. Arbor Day provides a golden opportunity for employees, patients, visitors, and the community to celebrate all the ways trees benefit our lives—especially the ways that trees improve human health.