Mississippi Forestry Commission Grant Funds 29 New Trees on Ole Miss Campus

A Mississippi Forestry Commission grant will pay to plant 29 new trees across the University of Mississippi campus to replace trees lost or damaged during January’s historic ice storm, university landscape officials said. The grant is identified as No. 23-DG-11083128-430-SAA1-25 and the MFC is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Sophie Kline, arborist and superintendent for the Department of Landscape Services, led planting activity on Feb. 13 when workers planted hardy new trees in the Circle, a project photo credited to Srijita Chattopadhyay of Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services shows. Kline said, "Something we have to think about is not just the aesthetics, but the long-term health of the trees. Because we're planting for people that will be here when I'm long gone, we want to give them the best shot they can have."

In a separate interview republished by WJTV and Yahoo, Kline emphasized campus safety and the Grove’s identity, saying, "Tree care matters because, one, we want to make sure that everybody is safe. If a tree is a liability, that's a safety issue. But also, because people have always associated the Grove with its trees. This campus is not just a concrete slab; it's an ecosystem." The university reported that 95 percent of its roughly 6,500 campus trees survived the storm, though many were damaged and will need replacement.

Nathan Lazinsky, director of Landscape Services, noted the department commonly plants 300 or more trees a year and expects to increase that total next year. Lazinsky said, "Landscape Services plants about 300 trees a given year. I hope to maybe double that number this coming year." Landscape Services tracks and tags its inventory using TreePlotter, and the tree map is open to the public for walking tours and site checks.

Planting decisions will favor resilience as well as restoration; most replacements will be the same species as those lost, but in some spots a finickier water oak may be swapped for a sturdier willow oak, and other substitutions will be used to "green screen" power cables or machinery from public view. University materials include the acknowledgement line: "This material is based on work supported by the Mississippi Forestry Commission grant no. 23-DG-11083128-430-SAA1-25."

University communications list the campus phone at 662-915-7211 for follow-up. The image record shows crews planting on Feb. 13, and university coverage by Clara Turnage was published Feb. 16 with additional local outlets republishing the story Feb. 16–17.