Cooperative Extension Service celebrates Arbor Day, educates communities on trees
By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
April 18, 2024
Fast Facts:
- April 25: City of Pine Bluff Arbor Day program from 10 a.m.-11 a.m.
- May 13: Sevier County extension Arbor Day event for fifth graders, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
- Celebrate and learn about importance of trees, take proper care of community forests
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(Newsrooms: With graphic)
LITTLE ROCK — In celebration of Arbor Day on April 25, Cooperative Extension Service staff are partnering with their communities to highlight the significance of forestry to Arkansas’ environmental health and timber industry.
Krista Quinn, Faulkner County extension horticulture agent for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said trees and forests provide many benefits for people and communities.
“Many studies have shown that having trees in neighborhoods improves the health of residents, improves academic performance and even reduces crime,” Quinn said. “We also know that trees provide many economic benefits, such as increasing property values, providing shade that reduces energy use and helping communities manage stormwater.”
Jaret Rushing, extension forestry instructor for the Division of Agriculture, said Arkansas’ timber industry is critical to the state’s economy and ranks in the top 10 in the United States.
“Finished forest products are crucial to the infrastructure of the United States,” Rushing said. “As a leading contributor to these products, the health and survival of Arkansas forests is at a heightened concern. Lumber, paper products, biofuels and mass timber production are all refined products that Arkansas forests are responsible for providing to the United States and the world.”
Local celebrations
Kevin Harris, Jefferson County extension staff chair for the Division of Agriculture, has helped coordinate Arbor Day celebrations with the City of Pine Bluff. The city’s Arbor Day program will kick off at 10 a.m. on April 25 at the Kevin Collins Center inside Pine Bluff City Hall at 200 E. 8th Avenue, and the ceremony will end with the planting of a Frontier Elm tree at the Pine Bluff Memorial Gardens across the street.
Harris will speak to event attendees about the importance of trees and how they play a vital role in stormwater management plans. Representatives from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture Forestry Division will also share their expertise on the many benefits trees provide.
Pine Bluff High School students, who Harris has been teaching as part of an environmental science class, will also showcase their tree research projects.
A tree planting event will also be held before the Arbor Day program at the W.E. O’Bryant Bell Tower on the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff campus at 10 a.m. on April 21. All Arbor Day celebrations in Pine Bluff are open to the public.
Harris said the City of Pine Bluff has participated in the Tree City USA program for the last 12 years. To qualify as a Tree City USA community, a city or town must have a tree board or department, a public tree care ordinance, a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.
Later this spring, 4-H members in Sevier County will help lead an Arbor Day event for county fifth graders on May 13. Nearly 250 fifth graders are scheduled to rotate through 12 educational stations at a local park in De Queen from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Sevier County Extension Office has helped with the event for more than 15 years.
“Our 4-H Teen Leaders are very active in the Arbor Day celebrations,” said Kim Frachiseur, Sevier County extension 4-H agent for the Division of Agriculture. “They not only help set up and tear down, but they also lead a couple of the different educational activities, including wormery building and gun safety in the woods.”
Other stations include a tree planting station, led by the Arkansas Forestry Division, and a demonstration on tree growth by the Weyerhaeuser lumber company.
“At this event, our fifth graders learn not just about the forestry industry, but also how it affects our local communities and economy,” Frachiseur said. “The objective is for them to leave our Arbor Day program with a better understanding of products from the forestry industry and the major economic impact forestry has in our area.
“In our community, forestry is the backbone of our local economy,” she said. “And after presenting the programs, our Teen Leaders also have a deeper understanding of the forestry industry and polish their public speaking abilities.”
Invest in tree health, invest in the future
Rushing said forests in Arkansas are vital for the state’s success, both economically and ecologically.
“Forests add many benefits to our environment, including improved air quality, acting as a natural cooling system and contributing to improved water quality,” Rushing said. “All of these traits stem from the natural physiological adaptations that trees have, including expansive root systems, expanded leaf area and canopy cover, and shade tolerance or intolerance.”
Quinn said that because Arbor Day is a bit late to plant trees in Arkansas — the best time being fall and winter — she encourages Arkansans to celebrate the holiday by “recognizing all the wonderful things trees do for us or caring for trees that are already in the ground.”
“Proper tree care, such as proper mulching and irrigating, can really extend the life of trees,” Quinn said.
Learn more about caring for Arkansas community forests and about Arkansas forestry resources on the Cooperative Extension Service website. Contact Kevin Harris at klharris@uada.edu for more information about the City of Pine Bluff Arbor Day program, and contact Kim Frachiseur at kfrachiseur@uada.edu for more information about the Sevier County extension Arbor Day event.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media Contact:
Rebekah Hall
rkhall@uada.edu
@RKHall_
501-671-2061