Tree Board's Workshop to ReLeaf Oxford

William Faulkner bought the woods around Rowan Oak – the same woods he wandered in as a daydreaming boy – with a resolve for preservation. Those trees are now the Bailey Woods under care of University of Mississippi. Faulkner’s spirit can rest knowing that the Tree Board of Oxford has watched his beloved Southern trees all over the city.
The Tree Board of Oxford has worked tirelessly to preserve the trees that has shaded the Chickasaw tribe to the Civil War soldiers to James Meredith to present day Oxonians. The Tree Board is now holding its annual ReLeaf workshop this Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Oxford Park Commission Activity Center at intersection of Price Street and Molly Barr Road.

Cowan Hunter, co-founder of Tree Board of Oxford, said that this year the workshop will not be only for the residents of a particular neighborhood or subdivision. In the past years the ReLeaf workshops were held by volunteers who wanted to host it in their yard or in their neighborhoods. This year it will be offered city-wide.
“Any Oxonian who wants to learn a bit about the benefits and basics of trees is invited.” Hunter said, “We even have some free trees for folks to take home and enjoy in their own yards.”
The city-wide workshop will focus on storm-resistant trees and preparing one’s yards for turbulent weather. This workshop was inspired by a grant challenge from the Mississippi Forestry Commission that pushed the Tree Board to brainstorm a volunteer-strong program. It was then that the board came up with the ReLeaf workshop.
The larger trees provided are from a tree nursery owned by the Tree Board. The board purchases smaller trees from other nurseries. The Tree Board has published a criteria for suitable trees to plant in Oxford which is included on page nine in its Master Tree Plan.
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Callie Daniels is the staff reporter for HottyToddy.com. For more information email her at callie.daniels@hottytoddy.com.