Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) recently received an $8,500 grant from the Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance (TRIM) Program offered by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).

The funds are part of the 2024-2025 grant cycle, university officials said.

The TRIM Grant Program is a competitive cost-share grant program administered by the local MDC office. Grant amounts range from $1,000 to $11,000. This is the sixth grant awarded to MSU-WP, officials noted.

The cost-share grants assist government entities and non-profit groups with the management, improvement and conservation of trees and forests on public land, according to information on the MDC website, MDC.Mo.gov.

They can help communities fund tree inventories, the removal or pruning of hazardous trees, tree planting, and the training of volunteers or employees to best care for community forests.

How the money will be used

University officials said they used the funds to maintain and renew the urban forest in and around campus. This includes trimming 30 trees on campus, removing four trees determined to be in poor health and planting eight new trees around campus.

The funds also will be used to continue MSU-WP’s Arbor Day program to build tree awareness among faculty, staff and students, university officials said.

For more information about MSU-WP’s tree management program, contact Physical Plant Superintendent Ron Hensley at 417-255-7268.