HUNTINGDON COLLEGE
News Release
December 14, 2023
For more information, contact:
Dr. Anthony Leigh, aleigh@hawks.huntingdon.edu
Gabbie Ehinger: Huntingdon’s Tree Champion
Montgomery, Ala. – The trees on the Huntingdon College campus have always accented the beautiful architecture of our campus buildings. In addition to her full-time role as the Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology, Gabbie Ehinger coordinates Huntingdon’s intentional effort to preserve and advance Huntingdon’s landscape of trees. She tells us about her role at Huntingdon and her enthusiasm for trees in this Q and A feature.
Q. How long have you been part of the Huntingdon faculty and which courses do you teach?
A: My first semester teaching at Huntingdon was in Spring of 2011. After a few years of splitting my time between Huntingdon and another institution, I joined the Huntingdon family full-time in 2015 and have been here ever since. My main teaching focus is BIOL 161-Environmental Science and various other biology labs such as genetics or botany. I am also teaching BIOL 261-Critical Perspectives in Environmental Studies and INDP 301- Foundations of Environmental Justice on two-year rotations.
Q. What all is involved in your service as Huntingdon’s Tree Coordinator?
A: Really, I have two main responsibilities. First, consult with the college’s administration and grounds maintenance about campus tree issues (planting, pruning, removal) and I also coordinate solutions for tree issues with the city forester that might arise with our street trees. Second, I oversee and manage our Tree Campus Higher Education program to ensure that we maintain the five standards for that program which are the establishment of a campus tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree care plan, verification of the plan’s dedicated annual expenditures, observing Arbor Day, and creating a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body.
Q. Anything successful on a college campus has a champion, and you have been the Huntingdon champion for our College’s designation as a Tree Campus. What is Tree Campus USA and why is this designation important?
A. Tree Campus USA or Tree Campus-Higher Education, as it’s now called, is a program offered by the National Arbor Day Foundation that fosters an appreciation for trees on college campuses by encouraging student engagement and recognizes colleges and universities that are growing and protecting their community forests. I’m pretty excited to mention that, assuming our application is approved, 2023 will be our 10th year as a Tree Campus. It’s worth mentioning that back when I first started, the college already had a vision of restoring and maintaining our tree canopy which aligned nicely with the goals of the Tree Campus program. We just needed to formalize things a bit and I have to thank President West and Mr. Dorman for supporting that vision.
Q. Talk a little about the Huntingdon tree canopy. Roughly how many tree species do we have on campus? What do you like best about the Huntingdon treescape?
A. We have over 50 species of trees on the main campus, and we are actively working to plant species that are native to this area. From a personal standpoint, I love that we have such a peaceful open green space to complement the architecture of the buildings. We have the Olmstead brothers to thank for that! I love that our treescape changes with the seasons. I love driving down Woodley and looking across The Green at our beautiful campus. I love that it provides shady places for students, faculty and staff to sit or hang hammocks or watch birds. From a sustainability standpoint, trees are a lot of bang for your buck. Studies have shown that in addition to providing quality of life benefits, urban trees cool the soil and air, remove and store pollutants-including greenhouse gas emissions, reduce stormwater runoff, and provide urban habitat for many wildlife species.
Q. Various storms, microbursts, and construction projects have taken out a number of trees on campus in recent years, but you’ve spearheaded a tree replanting effort. How many trees have we planted on campus in recent years?
A. Our tree canopy is like a lot of green spaces in Montgomery where we have a lot of big older trees that are reaching the end of their life and then a lot of really young trees. In some ways it’s a race to try to get those young trees “grown up” before we lose the older ones. In the last 10 years, we have planted approximately 300 trees, give or take. Most of these are the large 1 ½ inch caliper trees with some small seedlings stuck in here and there. What’s really encouraging is that despite droughts in 2016 and 2019 most of these trees have survived thanks to the efforts of our grounds maintenance crew over the years.
Q. How can students and other members of the College community be helpful to you in your tree preservation / replanting efforts?
A. We always need students to help with our Arbor Day observation which we’ve done in partnership with the city for the last several years. We also maintain a Campus Tree Committee as part of our standards for Tree Campus-Higher Education. Additionally, we usually have opportunities for service projects like mulching city street trees around town. Anyone who would like to be involved is encouraged to reach out to me: gehinger@hawks.huntingdon.edu.
Q. When did you know in life that you are a “tree person?”
A. I grew up in Huntsville on and around Monte Sano Mountain. I lived on a wooded lot on a street that dead ended into a creek and more woods. I climbed those trees and played in that creek, and I think that shaped a lot of who I am today. I also did my master’s thesis on Monte Sano looking at risk factors for tree fall during Hurricane Opal. Before I came to Huntingdon, I worked as a biologist on Redstone Arsenal managing endangered species, etc. It was there I was first introduced to the Arbor Day Initiatives like Tree City USA and realized what a great tool for community engagement it could be.
Q. When is the best season to plant most tree species?
A. You know the saying in the tree business is that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is right now. In this area, the best time to plant a tree is in the winter when the trees are dormant. It makes the transplanting process less stressful on the tree and increases survivability. However, you can plant a tree any time of year, it may just need a lot more attention if you’re doing it during the really hot and dry months.
Q. Want to give a shoutout to other members of the college community who are helpful to you behind the scenes in your tree initiatives?
A. As I mentioned above, we couldn’t really do any of this without support from the administration — President West, Mr. Dorman, and Dr. Leigh. Mike Dunn put up with a lot of schemes from me over the years and the grounds maintenance crew is always good to water the young trees when they need a little extra help. Laura Duncan is always supportive with any campus issue that arises. My husband, Jim Daniels, who is also Biology faculty, has always pitched in-especially when we have things that we need a truck for: mulching, watering, or planting. He helps cover events when I can’t be there and keeps an eye on the campus trees as well. And of course, the students who are willing to donate their time to help with tree giveaways or other tree related service projects. Tree Campus representatives Kiki Culpepper and Britany D’Angelo helped carry the day at this year’s tree giveaway. We really couldn’t do any of this without the students.
Q. Anything else you’d like to share about teaching at Huntingdon, trees at Huntingdon, or sharing Huntingdon with your spouse?
A. Whenever people ask me what it’s like to work at the same place as my husband I like to joke that teaching at the same college is easy, but it’s the home stuff that’s hard. But seriously, Huntingdon has been like a second home for us since we moved here in 2007. My kids have all played on the Green or helped with tree events or eaten in the dining hall. They think campus is a magical place and I can see why. One last thing before I go – Sacoria Garvin approached me about being the faculty sponsor for an environmental and sustainability club on campus so watch for information about that coming in January!
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Huntingdon College, in accordance with Title IX and Section 106.8 of the 2020 Final Rule under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, other applicable federal and state law, and stated College policy, prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. Similarly, it prohibits discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age and/or national origin in its education program
