The public is invited to take part in planting 181 cone-bearing trees outside CSUN's Science 1 and Science 2 buildings on campus from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Lindley Avenue near the center of campus at 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge.

"It's a long-term goal for the College of Science and Mathematics to have a wooded, shady landscape surrounding the buildings as an identifying feature," said Brian Houck, CSUN's Botanical Garden and Greenhouse manager. "It's not only what we think is a valuable landscape offering shade, but it's an educational tool for the students because we're focusing on gymnosperm plants."

The trees to be planted include magnolias, pines, redwoods, a Monkey Puzzle tree and michelias.

"The fragrance is out of this world - a fruity, orangy sort of pineapple smell, " Houck said about the michelia trees.

The event is co-sponsored by CSUN's College of Science and Mathematics, Caltrans, and TreePeople, a nonprofit group dedicated to planting trees.

Edward J. Carroll Jr., dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, and Jim Dole, chairman of the Biology Department, will speak at the opening ceremony. They will be joined by TreePeople's education director Jeff Hohense. A representative from Caltrans will also be there.

TreePeople representatives will be on hand to provide the tools and instructions on planting the trees, which were purchased with a Caltrans Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation grant. CSUN funded a sprinkler system, which has already been installed, to keep the trees healthy.

For more information about the event, contact Houck at (818) 677-3496 or Jeremy Sonenschein at (818) 677-2491.

California State University, Northridge has more than 29,000 full- and part-time students and offers 58 bachelor's and 50 master's degrees. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley.