Mount Mary University (MMU) is situated on 80-acres in Wauwatosa, where the north section of the historic campus is a forest. Rebecca Cook is Chief Engineer for MMU and says the campus’ tree canopy owes much to American Tree Experts (ATE).
“To maintain our trees is secondary only to maintaining the buildings in my position,” she explains. “It’s a part of the beauty of this campus. If you are going to work with someone, you want them to be passionate about trees. American Tree Experts has a wealth of knowledge and cares about trees.”
As you walk the grounds of the Catholic Liberal Arts University founded more than 100 years ago, you’ll notice the significant oaks, elms and ash trees that have withstood the test of time thanks to regular maintenance and tree care.
ATE’s certified arborists have been servicing the MMU campus grounds for several years now, most recently helping their trees fight off emerald ash borer (EAB). ATE professionals work hard to curb the spread of Dutch elm disease (DED) onto the campus, and also to mitigate any potential root damage to onsite trees resulting from the University’s various construction projects.
This spring when the campus needed repairs to an aging Caroline Hall, Cook placed a call to ATE. There were four, overgrown spruce and cedar trees on the residence hall’s west side that were in the way.
“The Caroline Hall trees were originally planted too close to the building,” Cook says. “The tuck pointing was wearing, the gutters were in poor condition and one tree was growing against an air-conditioning unit, making it difficult to service.” In addition, the trees were blocking the sun from hitting the building which meant the century-old Lannon stone couldn’t dry out.
ATE’s certified arborists assessed the situation and felled the nearly four-story tall trees without any damage to the surrounding area. They ground the tree stumps, filled the holes, spread top soil and grass seed. Cook says MMU now has a much healthier building.
“The morning after they took down the trees, I expected to come in and be sad about the missing trees, but it looked better. The entrance from Menomonee River Parkway looked much cleaner and elegant, and the huge maple on the west side of Caroline Hall that used to be shadowed by the scraggily pines now shines in its fully glory.
“Jesse and Dean from American Tree Experts are experts. For them to come on site, bring the trees down and take them away – it’s not as easy as they make it look.”
Cooks says with Mount Mary being a non-profit university, it’s essential to develop good partnerships with people who can be a good resource to them. “I would definitely put ATE in that category. I trust their knowledge and feel confident they have a respect for us and what we do here.”
