Mississippi State University administration, faculty and students are planting 225 trees at the Partnership Middle School today [Feb. 21] in celebration of Arbor Day.
The event marks MSU’s 12th consecutive year of recognition with the Tree Campus Higher Education designation by the Arbor Day Foundation.
“Trees and the forests they comprise are central to our Mississippi landscape, covering more than 60% of our state. They are a remarkable renewable natural resource, producing food, fiber and fuel from which we all benefit,” said Wes Burger, dean of MSU’s College of Forest Resources and director of the Forest and Wildlife Research Center. “Forest lands and the products they produce are a key component of the Mississippi economy contributing to the prosperity and quality of life for Mississippians.”
Joshua Granger, associate forestry professor and chair of the MSU Tree Campus Higher Education Advisory Committee, said the yearly event is an opportunity to bring the MSU community together to learn about the significance of tree planting.
“Arbor Day is important because it gets the word out on the value that our trees provide society and people in general,” he said. “It’s a chance for us to celebrate the value that the trees bring to our community.”
This year’s tree planting event includes various evergreen trees planted along the south and west sides of the Partnership Middle School, enhancing the building’s landscape by providing privacy and soil stabilization. This tree planting marks the completion of an overall planting project at the school after smaller plantings were made in previous years.
The event was made possible through funding from the Tennessee Valley Authority and Starkville Utilities. MSU members of the Waldorf Scholars and Phi Kappa Phi, students from the College of Forest Resources and the middle school, and the MSU Tree Campus Higher Education Advisory Committee are assisting with the planting.
National Arbor Day is celebrated across the U.S. on the last Friday of April. In Mississippi, it is held in February, the ideal time to plant trees in Southern climates.