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

Neither Rankin County nor its municipalities maintain a heritage tree or landmark tree ordinance. Mississippi does not have a state-level heritage tree protection statute. The Mississippi Forestry Commission maintains a Champion Trees registry recognizing the largest specimens of each native species, but registration confers recognition only — not legal protection, and property owners retain the right to remove registered champion trees. Historic districts in downtown Brandon or on the National Register may apply historic review for major tree removal as part of landscape preservation standards, but this is procedural review rather than outright protection. PRVWSD-managed lands around Ross Barnett Reservoir are the closest functional equivalent: old-growth hardwoods on district lands cannot be removed without permission. MS §95-5 (timber trespass) remains the strongest tree-protection law in Mississippi, applying triple damages to anyone who cuts another owner's tree. Subdivision covenants in upscale Brandon and Reservoir-area communities occasionally designate specimen trees for architectural committee review before removal.