Social media posts have sounded the alarm on Western Michigan University’s plan to build a road around the Oaklands building near West Michigan Avenue.
Some commenters fear that hundred-year-old oak trees in the area will be cut down. Others recalled the 2018 removal of about 60 trees after which WMU temporarily left the Tree Campus USA program.
But according to WMU biology professor Todd Barkman, WMU is taking steps to protect the old oaks by the Oaklands.
Barkman is member of the university’s Tree Advisory Committee, which he said toured the site and gave the university feedback on its plans.
“I will tell you, it is a first for me to have the director of campus planning at WMU come out, boots on the ground, and walk a site with us and talk about the development and how we could make it better," Barkman said.
He added that the white oak trees were of special importance during the committee's review. According to Barkman, the trees are older than the state.
"For anyone who wants to see what some of Michigan looked like prior to European settlement, in other words prior to statehood, they would have to come here and there's very few other places in Michigan where they could see that," he said.
The committee raised concerns about a planned portion of the road that threatened two oaks.
In the plan, "we currently have a road that cuts right through two ancient white oak trees," Barkman said. "One option is to widen the road here and take out those two ancient oak trees, but the other option is instead to shift the road a little bit."
Barkman said none of the old oaks will be cut down if the committee’s suggestions are accepted, though a young oak and a handful of mostly nonnative trees, including lilacs and dogwoods, could be.
University spokeswoman Paula Davis said Western intends to share revised plans soon.
She said the design is "getting closer to a solution" and will be updated based on the tree committee's feedback.
Michael Symonds reports for WMUK through the Report for America national service program.
