By Lexi Critchett and Skyy Cakmak
While strolling between vibrant bushes of yellow coreopsis, landscape architect and arboretum manager Mike Mastrota reminisced over life pre-pandemic when students flooded the campus, joy blossoming alongside the plants.
He passed the Quad, a popular spot for students to relax, gazing wistfully at the sturdy scarlet oak that towers over the lawn and down towards the blossoming variety of flowers housing specially imported Italian bees.
“But the great thing about this school is that you’ve got this beautiful outside to be part of your life and you can take advantage of this kind of a peaceful place,” Mastrota said.
American University has been an arboretum since 2003 with over 4,000 trees, helping to improve student mental health, create a safer space and highlight international relationships.
In the center of campus sits the Quad, a popular spot for students to relax together, making memories or working on assignments under the oldest tree in the school, a scarlet oak that’s estimated to be at least 130 years old.
“When [classes] are in session in the fall and it’s a beautiful day, this is filled with people,” Mastrota said gesturing at the Quad. “There’s blankets everywhere. There’s Frisbees going. There’s music. All kinds of stuff.”
After spending long amounts of time indoors during the pandemic, outdoor spaces such as these are becoming increasingly important for students to have access to.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, being near green spaces correlates to less stress and improves mental health conditions including depression and anxiety, both of which have become more common among students. By creating several nature spaces around campus for students to work and unwind in, Mastrota is giving them a place to feel comfortable and enjoy their surroundings.
“I don’t do well with being inside a lot, mental health-wise, so I think all this outdoor space makes all the constant work we have to do a little less draining,” said Jackie Jones, 17, who was on campus in June for a video and screenwriting summer class.
However, it’s not just the students who are being positively impacted by the green space.
A study by the Landscape and Urban Planning International Journal shows that a healthy outdoor environment can actually reduce crime through “a strong inverse relationship between tree canopy and […] robbery, burglary, theft and shooting,” therefore creating a safer space for everyone.
Surrounding communities also see other benefits from the Quad space, as they too have access to the greenery throughout the grounds.
“The people that were out here last year were neighbors, that would come and this was like their public park [where they could] walk their dogs or have strollers,” Mastrota said.
One common allée for people to walk through is situated near Nebraska Avenue, a path of cherry blossom trees that form a canopy.
These trees were originally from Japan and signify the relations between the Japanese and Americans, and represent just some of the international greenery incorporated throughout the arboretum intended to highlight amicable relationships between countries and help foreign students feel more at home.
At the end of the allée are three more cherry blossom trees that were gifted from South Korea, along with two lava rock statues that symbolize scholarship and power.
“They wanted to donate to us, expanding a kind of a Korean landscape around these buildings,” Mastrota said. “It’s a good place to be active but it’s been so quiet recently, like every other place.”
Mastrota added that “it will be great” when students return.
