Published: Jun 28, 2013 | 21:09 PM

IRWD and Shadetree Help Beautify UCI Housing

88 Trees Planted

When freezing temperatures and blizzards were making headlines in the East, students in the West were planting trees at UC Irvine on a warm winter day. The 88 trees were furnished to the Mesa Court housing complex by the Shadetree Partnership and Irvine Ranch Water District. Shadetree’s nursery is located on the campus.

“Mesa Court is one of UCI’s original housing complexes, so many of these plantings date back to 1965,” said Tim Guesman, associate director of operations for Mesa Court. “The goal is to replace them as needed.”

The 16-acre complex has 29 resident halls and is now used primarily for freshman housing. Students volunteered to learn the finer points of tree planting, and then worked hard to give the trees their new home.

Dave Asman, landscape contracts administrator for IRWD and Shadetree representative, gathered with students and instructed them how to plant the Chinese flame trees, California peppers, Canary Island pines, red buds, toyons, crepe myrtles, California sycamores, and Chinese elms. Then the students took over.

“This is a great way to make a difference,” said student Olivia Carbonero. “What better way than to plant trees?”

The California friendly trees were selected from Shadetree’s vast inventory. Information on IRWD’s environmental programs is available on our website.