Contact: Karen Brasher
STARKVILLE, Miss.--An air quality-enhancing event dating back to the 1880s will be celebrated Friday [Feb. 8] on the Mississippi State campus.
Beginning at 1:30 p.m. and open to all, students in the university's Society of American Foresters chapter formally will recognize Arbor Day 2013 with the planting of a tree donated by the Oktibbeha County Co-Op. The planting takes place just west of the Bost Extension Center parking lot.
A recognition of the importance of trees and the many benefits they provide, Arbor Day was designed to give people a day set aside specifically for planting and caring for trees.
This year's celebration also is part of the university's application to become a Tree Campus USA certified campus. A program of the Nebraska-based Arbor Day Foundation, the Tree Campus USA program recognizes excellence in tree care and management at institutions of higher learning.
"Mississippi State has a beautiful campus and takes great pride in our variety of trees in the landscape," said Jason Gordon, assistant extension professor.
"Acknowledgement of the campus as a Tree Campus USA program is justified given the outstanding job our campus landscape management has done planting and caring for trees," the MSU campus tree advisory committee member added.
For additional details on the event, contact Gordon at 662-325-8851 or jgordon@cfr.msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see www.msstate.edu.