LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is pleased to announce that 49 Arkansas entities achieved recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation in honor of their commitments to effective urban forest management in 2021.
Forty-six Arkansas communities were 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.
