STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Urban Forestry Summer School on July 28 will use Catalpa Creek on the Mississippi State University campus as a living laboratory for training and demonstration.

MSU faculty will teach at the school, hosted by the MSU Extension Service and the Professional Arborists Association of Mississippi. The event will be 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. near the College of Veterinary Medicine on the MSU Henry H. Leveck Animal Research Farm, commonly called South Farm. Signs will direct visitors to the actual location.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Experts at Mississippi State University recommend that those planting trees in the landscape this Arbor Day do their homework before getting started.

“Most people see a tree they like and decide that they want to have one in their yard, but that is really not the way to decide what kind of tree to plant,” said John Kushla, an associate Extension and research professor with Mississippi State University’s Extension Service and the Forestry and Wildlife Research Center.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – People interested in learning about the basics of tree planting and care have the opportunity to do so at workshops being held across the state in May and June.

The Urban Forest Workshops are sponsored by the Mississippi Urban Forestry Council and are free to the public. MUFC and Mississippi State University Extension Service personnel will lead the sessions and educate attendees about planting, pruning, selecting trees, preparing for a storm and replacing trees. The workshops will be held in various locations:

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Citizens interested in learning more about community and urban forestry have the opportunity to do so at a free workshop May 6.

Trees in Our Community: A Northwest Mississippi Community Forestry Workshop also provides training for the Urban Forest Master certificate. Sponsored by the Mississippi Urban Forestry Council, the workshop will be at the Starkville Sportsplex at 405 Lynn Lane in Starkville. The session lasts from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. with a break for lunch.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Trees do more for an area than add beauty, and communities across Mississippi have begun to recognize and protect the value of these leafy giants.

The 2005 Urban Forestry and Arboriculture Conference Feb. 14-16 in Natchez will give community leaders a better understanding of the benefits trees provide to a community. The Mississippi State University Extension Service is one of the sponsors for the conference.