IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) - Many people around Eastern Iowa celebrated Earth Day Monday, whether that be cleaning up parks or simply taking time to learn more about what people can do to help the environment.

In 2009, The University of Iowa was the first in the state to be designated a ‘Tree Campus Higher Education’ Institution by the Arbor Day Foundation.

It honors colleges and universities for promoting healthy management of their campus forests.

Between the derecho destroying millions of trees in 2020 and the emerald ash borer beetle taking out even more, arborists have emphasized the importance of not only taking care of the trees that survived but also working to restore what we’ve lost. And that’s what the University of Iowa arborist works on every day.