Not only are they beautiful and can grow incredibly in both size and age; trees also have several positive effects on their surroundings:
- The crowns create shadow and increase humidity. They also slow down wind gusts and bind dust in the air.
- The roots prevent erosion of the soil and reduce the risk of flooding due to their large water absorption.
- Trees are habitats for several organisms, like birds, insects, fungi, lichen and moss
Trees at Blindern
There are approximately 1800 trees at UiO (not including the trees at the Botanical Garden). The trees are central and atmospheric elements, albeit in different ways. In romantic gardens, such as the University Garden and at The Observatory (Observatoriet), the trees are freestanding and have been allowed to develop large crowns.
On the other hand, Campus Blindern is a formal park, where the trees are part of rows of trees, avenues or uniform fields. These elements emphasize the modernist character of the park.
There are several old trees at Blindern, dating back to the time before the establishment of the university. These you can find in the area around Villa Eika, below The Herb Garden by Kristine Bonnevies hus, and in small woodlands at Nedre Blindern. Here you will find well-grown specimens of Norwegian broad-leaved trees such as oak, elm, ash, linden and maple.
Even though there are mostly Norwegian trees at Blindern, there are some exotic species featured, like the magnolia, ginko, Caucasian wingnut and mulberry trees that are planted around campus.
Trees in the University Garden
In the University Garden, there is a combination of both old trees and quite young trees. When the garden was rehabilitated in the 2010s, several new trees were planted. It is important to choose the right species for the area when planting new trees, as well as planting trees that will thrive no matter the future climate conditions.
In front of the Gymnastics building there are both a horse chestnut tree as old as the university buildings, and a northern red oak planted in 2015. This ensures continuous development of the tree population in the park. The University of Oslo manages its trees in a long-term perspective.
Working with trees
The Park Services at UiO conducts condition- and risk assessments of the trees and carries out maintenance, also known as arboriculture. This helps maintain the trees, while also ensuring the safety of people, traffic and buildings in the area.
Examples of tree care can be cultivation of young trees, pruning to balance unstable crowns or reduce weight, removal of dried branches, tree crown stabilisation using anchoring, and pruning to adapt to surroundings like roads, buildings or infrastructure.
Despite systematic tree care efforts at UiO, incidents involving trees can still occur. The risk of this increases with strong winds and heavy rainfall.