Arkansas Grove
Arkansas is part of The Grove, a website and online community created to engage and encourage citizens to plant trees and protect the urban tree canopy. The Grove in Arkansas is sponsored by the Arkansas Urban Forestry Council and the Arkansas Forestry Commission
Why Join the Grove?
Inside The Grove, you have the ability to set up a profile, create photo "groves" of trees you have planted to commemmorate special events, and join tree groups that create change in your community. Make sure you join the Arkansas group once you create your profile.
Shade Trees on Playgrounds S.T.O.P. Skin Cancer in Children
Trees dramatically reduce the amount of damaging sunrays reaching the ground, which increases the amount of time you can spend outside without getting sunburned. Children spend many hours at school on the playground. Many school playgrounds have no shade which puts the children at risk for sunburn. Skin damaged by the sun during childhood is the leading cause of skin cancer in adults.
To combat sunburn and the risk of skin cancer, the Arkansas Forestry Commission has developed a program called S.T.O.P. (Shade Trees on Playgrounds.)
Tree City USA
Trees are an important part of a city, large or small. In 1976, the National Arbor Day Foundation developed the Tree City USA program to recognize those cities that have active tree programs. Sixty Arkansas cities are currently listed as "Tree City USA."
To qualify as a Tree City USA, a city must meet four requirements — one of which is a city Tree Ordinance. Examples of Tree Ordinances are available to help you write an ordinance for your community. View ordinance expamples.
- Arkansas Tree City USA Manual - PDF
- This booklet will show how to organize and make the Tree City USA program work in your community.
- This booklet can be downloaded directly from this site as an Adobe PDF. (Requires Acrobat Reader.)
Tree Maintenance - Specifications/Bids/Proposals
Properly planted and properly maintained trees are healthy trees. These samples will help you with the development of specifications, bids and proposals for hiring professionals for tree planting and tree maintenance.
Selecting Trees
A Guide to Selecting Trees
Trees provide many benefits to both cities and homeowners. Properly placed trees provide shade, beauty, wildlife habitat and increased property value. Trees planted in the wrong place create problems. This guide provides information about native and naturalized trees to help you select the perfect tree for the space you have. The trees are in a list so you can easily compare their characteristics.
Tree Selection Posters
Through an Urban and Community Forestry Grant, the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service prepared three tree posters that provide a selection of trees for lawns, streets and under utility lines. A hard copy of these posters are also available upon request.
Autumn in Arkansas - Trees for the Fall Landscape
Trees not only provide shade during the summer, they also give us beautiful colors in the fall. This list will help you determine which trees to plant to give you the fall colors you are looking for. More Info >
Who to contact for Urban Forestry Assistance
For technical assistance about tree care and selection, implementing a tree management program, training, presentations or educational materials, contact the Urban Forestry representative in your area.
Links to other Urban and Community Forestry Sites
The web pages listed will provide information about tree selection, planting and care.
Champion Trees
Arkansas's Champion Tree program recognizes those trees, planted by nature or individuals, that are the largest of each species. Trees are compared using the American Forest "Bigness Index" (BI).
If you have a tree you believe is the largest of its species, contact the AFC using the contact form, or call your local AFC office. You may also send a nomination form directly to the Little Rock office at 3821 West Roosevelt Road, Little Rock, AR 72204.
National Register of Big Trees
The National Register of Big Trees is maintained by American Forests, a non-profit citizens' conservation organization founded in 1875. Since 1940, citizens have helped the organization find the largest of 826 species across the United States. Through a variety of projects, the American Forests organization works to assist communities in planning and implementing tree and forest actions to restore and maintain healthy ecosystems and communities.