The Campus Tree Advisory Committee and the Student Chapter of the Society of American Foresters at Mississippi State University, will host the celebration of the Tree Campus USA designation in conjunction with the Arbor Day celebration Friday at 10:30 a.m. in the Junction.
President Mark Keenum will receive the award given to the university for the Tree Campus USA designation. 
Karen Brasher, marketing coordinator for the Forest and Wildlife Research Center, said it seemed fitting to give the award to Keenum because the university received the award. 
Chair of Campus Tree Advisory Committee Jason Gordon said this annual event is a small way to recognize the importance of trees to the landscape and to the residents of Mississippi. 
“It recognizes how important trees are to our lives,” he said. “The Tree Campus recognition demonstrates how the only land-grant university in the state of Mississippi is committed to the environment and its resources and to improving the well-being of all residents here through teaching, research and service.”
The designation of Tree Campus USA carries significance in the way MSU views its landscape. Gordon said it is symbolic of the level of commitment to trees and natural resource management on the part of MSU.
“As Tree Campus, there are certain characteristics we ascribe to, and that’s for every tree that must be removed for construction, we have to plant so many trees in its place,” Gordon said.
Brasher said the Tree Campus USA designation is a reflection of the beauty of MSU’s campus and the value placed on trees across campus. 
“The biggest thing is that we have a plan in place to document the trees and take care of them and replace them as needed,” Brasher said.
Associate Director of Campus Landscape Bart Prather said his team planted trees throughout this week and plans to plant one for the ceremony on Arbor Day.  
“We are glad to be a part of it. We try to do the best with what we have to keep our campus as beautiful as it can be,” Prather said.
Both Gordon and Brasher emphasized the importance of the four-year forestry major offered at MSU as well as the economic impact the industry has on Mississippi.
“Forestry is a big business in Mississippi. It is good for our economy, our environment and we provide good leaders who can manage these resources,” Brasher said.
All sources agree this is the optimum time of year for planting trees, which is the reason for Arbor Day’s placement on the second Friday of February. Campus Landscape plants between 20 to 100 trees this time of year.
Prather said this is the normal time for Campus Landscape to plant trees. More trees are added in the event of a student death.
The Forestry Department is currently conducting a student-led inventory of all trees across campus. Brasher said this is about a five-year endeavor in which measurements of height and diameter are taken of the approximately 10,000 trees on campus. The health of individual trees can be determined from this collected data.
“It’s only right that the state’s flagship research university is also forested, and does forestry research,” Brasher said. “That kind of ties into our land-grant mission.”
Gordon said he spends about a week every semester on the inventory with about 40 to 60 students of varying majors. He said this data can also be made into a quantified assessment that can be understood monetarily by placing a dollar value on individual trees based on their benefits.
“That is kind of exciting to have some documentation of how many trees are on campus because we do not really know,” Brasher said with a smile.