Editor’s note: a downloadable rendering of the quadrangle landscape can be found at www.ltu.edu/taubmancenter/image.asp.

Southfield, Michigan - In what is believed to be the largest commitment ever to create an urban forest cloned from the nation’s oldest, most historic, and often, largest trees, Lawrence Technological University President Charles M. Chambers today announced plans to plant some 30 to 70 such trees in and around the University’s redeveloped central academic quadrangle and elsewhere on its 120acre campus.

The trees are the first of what could eventually total hundreds of such champions that will transform Lawrence Tech’s Southfield campus into one of the nation’s most diverse sanctuaries for specimens cloned from trees that are the oldest, largest, or most historic of their kind. Those trees include some planted by the founders and presidents of the nation, or that by their proximity were witness to America’s most notable events, such as the Lewis and Clark Expedition. 

“With the assistance of HarleyEllis, we are pleased to have been selected to partner with the Champion Tree Project International in inaugurating this special initiative,” said Chambers. “It is part of Lawrence Tech’s $15 million commitment to build the A. Alfred Taubman Student Services Center at the heart of our campus, and redevelop our adjacent quadrangle. Here, at the hub of Lawrence Tech’s academic facilities, new pathways and plazas, an outdoor dining court, distinctive plantings, and environmentally friendly water containment features will transform the quad into a welcoming, multi-purpose outdoor center for student activities, socialization, study, and quiet reflection.”

“There is something that resonates with people about the Champion Tree Project” said Mark Hieber, the HarleyEllis landscape architect for the Taubman Center and the campus quadrangle redevelopment. 

“It perpetuates living things that in some cases have survived for many centuries, preserving their unique genetic makeup before it is lost forever. It is especially appealing as we move from an era marked by ‘doing less bad’ to the environment to ‘doing more good.’ Lawrence Tech’s location within the Rouge River watershed, with two tributaries flowing through campus, provides the opportunity for the University to lead the way in the establishment of a sustainable, watershed-wide, reforestation effort.”

Support for the Lawrence Tech initiative has been voiced by both of Michigan’s U.S. senators. “Lawrence Tech’s plan to plant a ‘living library’ of Champion Trees on its campus will benefit the Rouge River watershed, help to preserve these historically significant trees, and beautify the campus for students and visitors,” said Senator Carl Levin. “I salute the administration of Lawrence Tech and the Champion Tree Project for making this vision a reality.”

Senator Debbie Stabenow added, “We celebrate today’s announcement – the union of a forward-looking school, Lawrence Technological University, and Dave Milarch, the forward-looking founder of the Champion Tree Project, for the benefit of the River Rouge watershed. This is a great development for one of southeast Michigan’s most important natural and cultural assets, and I am proud to be part of the effort to provide federal funding to sustain and improve the entire River Rouge watershed.”

The non-profit Champion Tree Project International was co-founded in 1996 by David Milarch of Copemish, Mich., and his son, Jared.  The group has worked with arborists, such as Bartlett Tree Experts, and horticulturists like Francis Gouin, the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, Mt. Vernon and Monticello, and botanical gardens across the country -- both to collect genetic material, and replace aged trees before they succumb to natural and human forces.

Cuttings are collected from champion tree specimens and rooted in mist houses or grafted to root stock from the same species. Unlike seedlings, which are the offspring of two parent trees, clones derive 100 percent of their DNA from one parent. The Champion Tree Project’s goal is to replenish the nation’s supply of trees with the best of the best.

The Lawrence Tech project meets the criteria for the application of Champion Trees, including: a highly visible location, educational opportunities for students and the public, and a commitment by the University to affect positive environmental change.

“This plan is a special complement to our new Taubman Student Services Center, set to open later this year,” Chambers said.  “Besides redefining how we provide services to our students, the Center will be a living laboratory of many of the most promising energy efficient and sustainability technologies. While the building will be a showcase for renewing and conserving energy resources, the Champion Tree Project here is all about preserving some of this nation’s most significant and historical biodiversity.

“We also expect to develop educational programming that will further enhance understanding of this initiative by our students and the visiting public,” Chambers added.

Lawrence Tech will purchase and plant the trees, and will also commit to long-term nursery services and maintenance to help assure their survival. The University is seeking sponsors to fund the project, expected to cost some $2,500-10,000 per tree, which can be dedicated by donors as memorials and tributes.  

“We hope that everyone interested in the natural environment and this nation’s magnificent forests will join with us in funding this important living legacy,” Chambers said.

The Taubman Center and quadrangle projects are among the final phases of the $32 million Campaign for Lawrence Tech, launched in 2001. Lawrence Tech, www.ltu.edu, offers more than 50 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degree programs in Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Management. Michigan’s first wireless laptop campus, Lawrence Tech pioneered the –offering of day and evening classes 73 years ago, and today has a growing number of weekend programs.

HarleyEllis, www.harleyellis.com, with its partner companies, Spectrum Strategies and HarleyEllis Build, offers customers a continuum of services spanning from strategic planning to design, construction, and facility management. With over 95 years of continuous service, the firm focuses on university, science and research, corporate, healthcare, civic, and automotive customers. The 350-person organization is one of the largest professional services firms in the U.S. with offices in Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Los Angeles.

Champion Tree Project International’s web site is www.championtreeproject