Mizzou Botanic Garden awarded MDC TRIM grant

For the third time, Mizzou Botanic Garden (MUBG), which encompasses the entire MU campus, was awarded a Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance (TRIM) Grant from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). MUBG's $9,000 grant is one of 38 in the 2019 funding cycle.

TRIM is a competitive, cost-share tree care program administered by MDC in partnership with the Missouri Community Forest Council. It provides funding to assist government entities and nonprofit groups with the management, improvement or conservation of trees on public lands.

MUBG is home to an expansive tree collection, and the 2019 grant funding is being used to remove undesirable ash trees from high-profile areas on the campus and replace them with Missouri native species.

“We’ve known for a long time we would need to remove ailing ash trees, especially now that emerald ash borer (EAB) has been confirmed in Boone County,” said Jenna Rozum, the horticulture manager for MU Campus Facilities - Landscape Services, who submitted the proposal.

Rozum said a campus-wide ash assessment of the 147 ash trees on the campus identified several healthy, attractive specimens worth treating for EAB. But others, including the 34 addressed by this grant, were targeted for removal and replacement.

Tree removal was completed in the fall of 2019, and planting of 21 replacement trees is underway. Replacements include three species of oak, pecan, redbud, magnolia and bald cypress specimens.

“Trees make life better for our cities and towns every day,” said MDC Community Forestry Program Supervisor Russell Hinnah. “TRIM grants help communities with tree inventory, pruning, planting and programs that help keep our neighborhood trees healthy and thriving.”

The TRIM Grant is an ongoing program that is available to any municipality, park department or public school in Missouri. More information can be obtained by contacting the local MDC office at 417-256-7161.

Story by Jan Wiese-Fales