Jackson County, MS Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)

Ocean Springs Code §86 designates Heritage Trees as any live oak 24 inches DBH or larger, any tree 30 inches DBH, or trees of historical significance nominated to the Tree Board. Removal requires Tree Board and Planning Commission approval with demonstrated hardship or safety emergency, with public notice. Construction within the Critical Root Zone (CRZ) extending 1 foot per inch of DBH requires tree protection fencing during all site work. Gautier Code §42 recognizes heritage status for oaks 20 inches DBH or greater, cataloged by the Gautier Oak Alliance which has inventoried, mapped, and tagged over 400 heritage live oaks across the city. Pascagoula Code §62 protects the Grand Oak at the Longfellow House and individual historic trees through the Historic Preservation Commission. The Louisiana-based Live Oak Society has registered dozens of Mississippi Gulf Coast oaks over 100 inches in circumference. Mississippi has no statewide heritage tree statute, but Miss. Code §95-5-10 treble damages for unauthorized cutting apply powerfully to heritage specimens where damages can include full replacement value of a century-old tree. Hurricane Katrina killed or damaged thousands of heritage oaks across the coast, triggering replanting programs by the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain and Gulf Coast Community Foundation.