When Kevin Curtis was at USC earning a degree in education, he imagined himself teaching middle school science.
But now, as the university arborist, Curtis spends his time taking care of almost 7,000 trees across campus, which comprise 50 different tree species.
“This was just more powerful. I think I chose well,” Curtis said. “My love of trees has led me back to this beautiful campus.”
A typical day in the life of the university arborist involves a tour of campus to inspect trees for any safety concerns that may be present, such as dead or hanging limbs and lighting security. Safety is Curtis’ main concern, and he and his staff focus on it every day.
The landscaping team executes a lot of tree care and protection, and they aim to plant around 20 new trees each winter. They are also constantly assessing tree health.
Curtis said his favorite part of his job is “watching the young trees that I planted years ago mature and knowing that that tree is going to be a lasting legacy for future generations of people that come onto our campus.”
On the other hand, he said the hardest part is making the decision to remove trees. The absolute hardest day Curtis has had in his time at USC was when they uprooted a large live oak on the historic Horseshoe.
Although the landscaping team typically follows a routine of tree care and protection, there are occasions that take them out of their normal schedule, such as weather.
“I think the craziest week we had here, and it was a team effort, was a big ice storm about five ago,” Curtis said. “We had so much damage to assess and it was a crazy week.”
The recent snow in Columbia did not bring any noticeable damage to the campus’ landscape, and Curtis attributes that to an active maintenance team that addresses any potential problems as soon as it can.
USC has earned the designation of a Tree Campus USA for the past three years, and the campus’ forest includes many impressive plants. USC is home to the state champion Sawtooth Oak, as well as large collections of live oaks with impressive crowns. The largest tree on the campus proper is a 56-inch caliper cherry bark oak behind Petigru.
Curtis works to keep a good diversity of trees on campus, which includes flowering trees, shade trees and ornamentals, in order to prevent a monoculture, or single-species, situation. He and his team are very open to trying new species, but they must first ensure that their selection would grow well on campus. USC currently has many trees that are native to the South Carolina area and prosper on campus.
“Our main goal as far as trees go on campus is to make sure we maintain the tree canopy on the campus, which involves planting the right species, pruning them properly early on and replacing them as the older trees mature to the point that they’re no longer safe.” Curtis said. “That’s the most important focus.”
The trees on campus also support a diverse amount of wildlife, including squirrels, flickers, songbirds, woodpeckers, hawks and even falcons. Curtis said that sometimes he and his staff are amazed by the creatures and their antics, such as when two young male hawks battled each other for territory across the Horseshoe.
“Even the students got off their texting for a minute and watched that,” Curtis said. “It was one of the craziest things we’ve ever seen.”