Aldrich Park is the heart of the UC Irvine campus. Originally called Campus Park, the 19-acre space once hosted commencement ceremonies and untold campus celebrations. In 1984, it was renamed Aldrich Park in honor of founding Chancellor Daniel G. Aldrich Jr., who had retired that year.

Along with renowned architect William Pereira, Aldrich envisioned a campus that differed from traditional universities, with a circular park crisscrossed with pathways at its center, designed as an urban forest to connect students and faculty with nature. Concentric rings would emanate from the park, symbolizing knowledge spreading outward. UC Irvine’s founding plans recognized the importance of open space to campus life, with greenbelts extending from Aldrich Park to all campus neighborhoods.

Aldrich’s background in agriculture influenced his intent to make the campus environmentally friendly, contributing to UC Irvine’s acclaimed sustainability efforts. The university is home to diverse plants and, currently, about 30,000 trees. As Aldrich Park and the surrounding buildings were being developed, a variety of eucalyptus species were planted because of their fast growth amid the urgent need for shade.

“Aldrich Park serves the campus community in myriad ways – from hosting large campus events and recreation to providing an opportunity for respite and connection to nature,” says Matt Deines, principal physical planner for Campus Planning & Sustainability. 

In 1996, the campus created the Sustainable Landscape Program (Green and Gold Plan), which outlines objectives for UC Irvine’s urban forest, including more species and age diversity to improve its long-term health. It encourages ongoing replacement of eucalyptus trees, the dominant species planted during the first two decades of campus development, with native California trees and other shade trees that provide ecological and environmental value.

The university’s Naturescape Vision initiative, completed in 2018, builds on early sustainability planning for all open space, which accounts for about one-third of the campus footprint. It aims to enrich UC Irvine’s mission by optimizing these areas for interdisciplinary teaching and research, campus life and community engagement, art and culture, recreation and wellness, and habitat and watershed management.As part of UC Irvine’s ongoing urban forest management, the campus regularly conducts assessments of eucalyptus and other tree species to identify those that may be in declining health or otherwise pose a hazard. In 2021, close to 300 eucalyptus trees within Aldrich Park, at the Crawford Athletics Complex and along Academy Way were removed. The eucalyptus trees planted in the 1960s are now near the end of their natural lifespan.

The campus’s restoration program emphasizes the installation of long-lived native plants and other shade trees, intending to increase the diversity and long-term health of our urban forest while providing increased habitat for pollinators and other regional species.

“Our tree canopy is an important feature of Aldrich Park and the campus as a whole, providing shade, improving air quality and creating habitat for local bird species,” Deines says. “As a campus, it’s important for us to continue to protect the original vision of Aldrich Park and continue to invest in it, as we have through this reforestation effort.”