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Mississippi Community Tree Recovery Campaign Kicks Off Friday

date 03/05/15

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Tupelo, MS (March 5, 2015) – On Friday, March 6, 2015, the Mississippi Community Tree Recovery campaign will officially launch. The campaign will focus on distributing new trees to areas affected by the EF4 tornado that tore through the state in April 2014. Efforts will begin in Tupelo, MS and Louisville, MS this month.

The campaign is a multi-year partnership with the Mississippi Forestry Commission and the Arbor Day Foundation, with plans to distribute more than 5,000 new trees in the first year to Mississippi residents. A diverse mix of new trees will be distributed to homeowners. The new trees symbolize a new beginning for the communities of Tupelo and Louisville.

The campaign kicks-off with a new tree distribution in Louisville on Friday, March 6, 2015, at the Louisville Coliseum, 201 Ivy Avenue. Efforts continue with a second new tree distribution in Tupelo on Tuesday, March 17, 2015, at the City of Tupelo Public Works building, 604 Crossover Road.

The Arbor Day Foundation has led fundraising while our on-the-ground partners organize logistics and personal outreach to their communities. Logistical efforts on the ground are led by the Mississippi Forestry Commission, the City of Tupelo Public Works, the City of Louisville Park and Recreation Department, and the Winston County Master Gardeners.

On April 28, 2014, an EF4 wedge tornado tore through the streets of Tupelo and Louisville, Mississippi. The city of Louisville suffered 10 fatalities and more than 80 injuries. In Tupelo, approximately 2,000 residences and 100 commercial structures were damaged or destroyed, and more than 4,000 residents were left without power. The Mississippi Community Tree Recovery campaign hopes to bring healing to these neighborhoods as they continue to rebuild.

Campaign partners emphasize that more help is still needed to restore these communities to their pre-disaster condition. Anyone can donate online at www.arborday.org/recovery. With your help, we can begin to restore these beautiful Mississippi landscapes.

About the Arbor Day Foundation: The Arbor Day Foundation is a million member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information is available at arborday.org.

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