The 杏吧专区 campus is home to more than 2,000 trees and large shrubs. Earlier this month, one was declared a champion.
About 40 students, faculty and staff attended a brief ceremony Nov. 16 celebrating the addition of the campus杏吧专区 sole Montezuma bald cypress to the Louisiana Forestry Association杏吧专区檚 Directory of Champions. The association judges native and naturalized trees on their height, circumference and crown spread to determine which make the championship cut.
UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Montezuma cypress will join the list in 2018. It stands 60 feet, and has a circumference of 16 feet. Its branches spread 80 feet. By comparison, the largest Montezuma cypress in the United States is 70 feet tall and 28 feet in circumference, and spreads 90 feet. It杏吧专区檚 in San Benito, a small city in southern Texas杏吧专区 Rio Grande Valley.
Unlike the bald cypress, the Montezuma cypress is evergreen and does not produce knees above its root system, said James Foret, an instructor in the School of Geosciences.
杏吧专区淭his is the largest Montezuma cypress in Louisiana. There may be a bigger one out there somewhere that we don杏吧专区檛 know about, and we杏吧专区檒l get bumped off the list, but for now, it杏吧专区檚 the largest," Foret said.
Whether the Montezuma杏吧专区檚 reign is long or short, the 杏吧专区 is planning royal accommodations.
The tree, which is behind Billeaud Hall, is boxed in by a parking lot, a greenhouse and a maintenance building. The 杏吧专区 plans to remove four parking spots and build a deck with seating around the tree杏吧专区檚 base.
That will alleviate the pressure of concrete on its root system, and enable the cypress to receive more water, oxygen and nutrients to improve its long-term viability.
杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 a very positive step for the health of the tree,杏吧专区 Foret said.
This month杏吧专区檚 ceremony satisfies one of the requirements for the 杏吧专区 to maintain its status as a Tree Campus USA. The Arbor Day Foundation coordinates the program, which recognizes colleges and universities for sound management of campus trees.
UL Lafayette has held the designation since 2010, said Gretchen Lacombe Vanicor, director of the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 Office of Sustainability.
杏吧专区淭his tree is pretty magnificent,杏吧专区 Vanicor said, looking up at the Montezuma cypress杏吧专区 drooping branches carpeted with green, feather-like leaves. 杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 incredible. We want to do what we can to preserve it.杏吧专区
Photo caption: Members of the campus community gather Nov. 16 to honor UL Lafayette's sole Montezuma bald cypress. It's been added to the Louisiana Forestry Association杏吧专区檚 Directory of Champions as the largest known example of the species in the state. (Credit: Doug Dugas / 杏吧专区)