Endow an Oak to Preserve LSU’s Campus Legacy

December 4, 2007 —The legendary beauty of LSU has its roots in the more than 1,200 live oak trees shading the grounds of our university. Seeds that were planted many years ago have flourished into beloved centerpieces of campus, with the power to inspire and motivate generation after generation of Tigers.

The oaks of LSU exist today because someone, many years ago, invested time and care to provide LSU’s future with these incomparable works of natural beauty. It is a tradition at LSU, and an ideal way to ensure the everlasting appeal of our campus to students and visitors alike. The “Endow an Oak” program at the LSU Foundation seeks to coordinate oak preservation efforts at LSU, allowing donors to become actively involved in preserving our campus oaks.

Through the program, LSU supporters can endow an individual oak tree, providing it with a lifetime of care in a single donation. Trees from across campus are eligible for the program, of varying ages, sizes, and locations. Funds from an oak endowment go toward periodic pruning, mulching, fertilizing, and treatment for disease and damage. The endowments can also aid a tree in a state of severe decline, or to protect a tree that could be threatened by foot traffic, parking, or construction.

All gifts to the program are split in two. Half of the gift goes toward immediate care of the oaks, with the other half going into an endowment. The endowment provides assistance to LSU’s landscaping budget year after year, and ensures preservation of the oaks for generations to come.

There are three different types of oaks available for endowment:

Quad Oaks are $50,000 each.
Parade Ground Oaks are $10,000 each.
Campus Oaks, located across LSU’s campus, are $4,000 each.

Donors may be individuals, families, organizations, or companies. A plaque is placed near the base of an endowed tree to recognize the gift, and should the tree die, the endowment provides a replacement oak.

LSU currently has 234 endowed oak trees, with many more in the process of being endowed. For more information about oak endowments contact Darlene Hale at (225) 578-3811 or email dhale@lsufoundation.org. To endow an oak online, visit www.lsufoundation.org.

Forever LSU thanks you for your continued financial support of our students, faculty and programs. Our goal is to raise $750 million by 2010. Please visit www.foreverlsu.org for more information on how we're progressing and how every Tiger can help.