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.

The urban forestry event addresses vegetative buffers, greenway design, invasive species control, forestry community models, stream bank restoration techniques, and riparian edges and erosion. Catalpa Creek, which runs through the MSU campus, will serve as the setting for instruction, and experts will use it as an example of the techniques described.

The program is designed for arborists, foresters, landscapers, planners and members of tree boards. It is completely outdoors, so rain cancels the event. Participants should dress appropriately for conditions.

Register by July 24 for $15, or pay $30 at the door. A box lunch is included in the day’s event. Continuing education credits are available.

To register, mail a check to the Professional Arborists Association of Mississippi at P.O. Box 726, Brandon, MS 39043, or call Donna Beliech, area Extension horticulture agent, at 662-769-9808. Contact Jason Gordon, Extension forestry professor and event organizer, at 662-325-8851 or jg966@msstate.edu for more information, or visit http://www.paam-ms.com.