In collaboration with the Arbor Day Foundation, the Knights Corner Bookstore near UCF is looking to rebuild one of three national forests that have declined in area during the past few years.
As part of a promotion venture, Knights Corner is participating in this national competition, sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, to reconstruct one of three national forests in different locations throughout the United States.
The three forests in consideration are Flathead National Forest in Montana, Huron-Manistee National Forest in Michigan, and Pike and San Isabel National Forest in southeastern Colorado.
The competition began in April 2007 and will run until May 2008. The school that contributes the most votes will have the forest named after it.
As of Nov. 1, UCF held a significant lead over the other competing schools with 619,790 votes. The next highest number of votes was tallied by Life University in Marietta, Ga., with 147, 456 votes. South Florida Community College followed with 10,344 votes.
"We did a similar promotion last year in which part of every transaction of a new or used book went toward planting 100,000 trees in Gallatin National Forest [in Montana]," Knights Corner Textbook Manager John Meyer said. "The twist this year is we now have three sites from which to choose from to rebuild."
Meyer also indicated that the votes are weighted according to the total number of enrolled students at each institution.
The Nebraska Book Company, owner of Knights Corner, will provide the financial funds for the rebuilding of the forest, and the Arbor Day Foundation will provide the sources and volunteers to plant the trees.
The three forests that are being considered for the competition were chosen because they are in danger and are valuable because of their location or the animal species they support.
Flathead National Forest has been severely damaged by a combination of fires and erosion. It is important because it's home to the largest population of grizzly bears.
Pike and San Isabel National Forest is the primary water source for Denver, Colo. Consequently, damage to this ecosystem has had significant human and wildlife implications. This forest is home to wild species such as mountain goats, elks and black bears.
The Kirtland's Warbler, an endangered bird species, resides in Huron-Manistee National Forest.
"Some of the stuff we've destroyed will never come back," physical geography professor Benjamin Fries said. "We want to leave these ecosystems and forests in a better condition than we found them for our kids to enjoy."
A native of Michigan, Fries said he visited the Huron-Manistee National Forest 25 years ago and described it as a gorgeous site.
"It was a pristine forest that looked like no one had ever been through there before," he said. "You could literally walk for miles without seeing people."
Knights Corner, with the help of their parent company, is doing what they can to retain some of that natural beauty.
"It's nice to see [the Nebraska Book Company] think bigger," Meyer said. "This is a reflection of how we've grown as a company. The store has more than doubled in six years since their ownership, so they have more resources to do a better job.
"The Arbor Day Foundation identified an area of need and reached out to a corporation able to financially back its needs."
Meyer said he also believes that UCF has always been a leader in being a "green" university. Having the institution's name on a forest will recognize the school's environmental efforts as well as commend students for being involved and caring about the planet as a whole.
"It's a way for students to participate in helping the natural world while exhibiting school spirit," said freshman economics major Konstantin Ravvin.
It takes three to six months to plant the trees. Students interested in voting for the forest competition or wanting to get involved in other ways can visit the Build a Forest Web site at www.buildaforest.com.
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