Caring for the Quad’s trees

The Quad's tree canopy is part of what makes Boise State feel like home. Caring for it means looking beyond today's beauty to each tree's health, safety and their ability to thrive long-term.

Three trees in the Quad have been identified as unhealthy, with no chance of recovery. To reduce the risk of falling limbs as they continue to decline, these trees will be removed. Age, regional conditions and added stress from the recent steam tunnel work all contributed to their decline.

Tree removal decisions are not made lightly or in isolation. The Landscape Services Team and other campus experts, in collaboration with the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA)-certified arborists, evaluate each tree's overall health, structural stability and risk to people and infrastructure, susceptibility to pests or disease, and its long-term outlook before making recommendations. The goal is to preserve healthy trees, and attempt recovery on stressed trees, wherever possible.

Removal will take place over Thanksgiving break, ahead of winter weather. Replacements will be planted in Spring, when conditions best support new growth.

Every removal is also a chance for thoughtful renewal. This means choosing the right trees for the right places, considering Boise's climate, soil conditions, available growing space, water needs, and species diversity.

Campus Operations is dedicated to being responsible stewards for the campus and protecting its ecological health. In fact, as a certified Tree Campus for Higher Education through the Arbor Day Foundation, we care for 2177 trees across campus, representing 147 species, which are monitored by service-learning students who check for their health and growth.

Thank you for caring about campus and for sharing in the commitment to a healthy, vibrant, and enduring Boise State landscape.

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