The Tree Number Story
Tree Numbers is a participatory experience that offers a unique opportunity to create a personal connection between participants and individual trees. The project takes advantage of the fact that arborists at UTD have mapped most of the trees and tagged them with numbers to categorize their types and locations. Participants are encouraged to choose their favorite tree and identify the tree’s number tag. They are then asked to articulate why a particular tree is meaningful to them. What follows is often a conversation about a personal memory that, were it not for a tree, might not have happened. The experience shifts each of us into deeper conversations and more thoughtful relationships with our local environment. In the first iteration of this project, participants receive mementos such as their portraits taken with their favorite tree. A website catalogues the stories, along with a map of the area where these interactions take place. The project will subsequently be shared with the UT Dallas social media team and made available for wider engagement with students and faculty on Arbor Day, Friday, April 25, 2025.