Live oak planted at ULL, part of coastal planting program

• By JASON BROWN
• Advocate Acadiana bureau
• Published: Nov 19, 2009

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LAFAYETTE — The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Wednesday welcomed its newest addition on campus: a 7-foot live oak.

The 4-year-old tree was planted by Acorns of Hope, a nonprofit in its third year of a five-year plan to plant 10,000 live oaks along Louisiana’s coastline.

The campus was one of many stops planned by the group on its five-day, 300-mile bicycle route, which will take riders from Lake Charles to New Orleans.

The new tree’s home, near the intersection of University and Louisiana avenues, is close to some of the oldest live oaks on campus.

Dustin Domangue, 22, a communications major and president of the ULL Student Government Association, called it the first step in a larger mission to bring more green movements onto campus.

Domangue said students have expressed a desire for more than just recycle bins. They want renewable energy, lower carbon footprints and green items such as recycled paper and napkins, he said.

“This is a start of our kick-off initiative,” Domangue said.

UL President Joseph Savoie called the group’s visit appropriate, given the history of the university.

Savoie said the Live Oak Society was founded at the university and the first president beautified the campus by planting the trees that now stand near the university’s entrance.

He said the group’s work today will provide future generations with the same type of beauty.

Acorns of Hope plants live oaks because they are native to Louisiana, and are hurricane resistant and saltwater tolerant.

Bob Thibodeaux, the group’s founder and owner of Bob’s Tree Preservation, called live oaks a “magnificent species to slow down winds.”

The trees have canopies that are low to the ground and roots that interweave, which provide them with additional strength against winds, said Alex Futch, 22, a renewable resources major at the university and Thibodeaux’s granddaughter.