The Arkansas Department of Agriculture announces that 49 state entities have achieved recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation in honor of their commitments to effective urban forest management in 2021.
The cities honored include Eureka Springs, Holiday Island, Cotter, and Mountain Home while Carroll Electric Cooperative in Berryville also received recognition. The complete press release from the Arkansas Agriculture Department is below:
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture has announced 49 state entities have achieved recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation in honor of their commitments to effective urban forest management in 2021.
Forty-six Arkansas communities have been recognized through the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA® program, two Arkansas colleges achieved recognition through the Tree Campus Higher Education® program and an Arkansas utility company was recognized through the Tree Line USA® program.
The Tree City USA® program allows communities to achieve recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements: establishment of a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.
The following 46 communities in Arkansas met these standards by the end of 2021 and were awarded the title of Tree City USA®:
Batesville
Bella Vista
Bentonville
Casa
Centerton
Clarksville
Conway
Cotter
Delight
Etowah
Eureka Springs
Fayetteville
Fort Smith
Gentry
Gilbert
Goshen
Greenbrier
Hardy
Holiday Island
Hot Springs
Little Rock
Little Rock AFB
Lowell
Marvell
Maumelle
McGehee
Melbourne
Monticello
Morrilton
Mountain Home
Mountain View
North Little Rock
Paragould
Pine Bluff
Pleasant Plains
Prescott
Rogers
Searcy
Springdale
Star City
Trumann
Walnut Ridge
Warren
West Fork
Winslow
Wynne
A map of Tree City USA® Communities can be found online at agriculture.arkansas.gov/forestry/urban-community-forestry/tree-city-usa/.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and the University of Arkansas — Monticello were recognized through the Tree Campus Higher Education program which helps colleges and universities establish and sustain healthy community forests. Carroll Electric Cooperative, an electric utility company headquartered in Berryville, was recognized through the Tree Line USA® program. The Tree Line USA® program recognizes best practices in public and private utility arboriculture, demonstrating how trees and utilities can co-exist for the benefit of communities and citizens.
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division Urban & Community Forestry program provides technical assistance to communities and campuses seeking to apply for recognition. Recognition materials from the Arbor Day Foundation, such as Tree City USA® banners and signage, are hand-delivered by urban forestry staff and representatives. The Forestry Division also provides additional annual incentives.
“Through grants from the U.S. Forest Service, we are able to purchase a large tree and mulch for each community and campus achieving recognition,” said Kristine Kimbro, Urban & Community Forestry Coordinator. “Increasing local tree canopy cover benefits all Arkansans and encourages communities to continue their commitment to practicing sound management of their urban forests.”
More information on the Arbor Day Foundation and its programs is available at arborday.org/TreeCityUSA.
The Department is dedicated to the development and implementation of policies and programs for Arkansas agriculture and forestry to keep its farmers and ranchers competitive in national and international markets while ensuring safe food, fiber and forest products for the citizens of the state and nation.
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