An urban forester coming to Gentry

— An urban forester is coming to Gentry Feb. 1 to do a tree count and help the city with plans to work toward becoming a Tree City USA.

Working together with the Illinois River Watershed Partnership and the city of Gentry, the Gentry Chamber of Commerce assisted in obtaining a grant for the IRWP from the Arkansas Natural Resource Commission. The grant will pay for the visit from the urban forester, a tree inventory, and will also provide some funding for more trees in the park.

“When we get to the end of this project with everything completed, we will then qualify as a Tree City,” said Gentry Chamber of Commerce director Bev Saunders. “That designation will open the doors for lots of opportunities for our town.”

The forester will also attend the city council meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 1 in the city council chambers to explain plans and answer questions. The public is invited to attend.

“We will be planting trees in the riparian zone of Flint Creek on March 13,” Saunders said. “Please mark that on your calendar. We will be planting in the Springtown area. Every volunteer’s hours will be counted as in-kind contributions towards the matching part of the grant. We will also host a workshop in March, and I will let everyone know as soon as we get that finalized,” Saunders added.

Saunders is urging the community to help out with the tree-planting project and asking citizens to recruit help from places of employment, civic groups and family members.

“Please help with this project if you can,” Saunders said. “Besides our regular events and festivals, this will be one of our biggest project this year. We need as many folks to help as possible.”

Saunders said the volunteer hours are very important - not only for the in-kind contribution but also because they demonstrate the interest of the community in preserving the environment and area resources.

Saunders said she expects the tree-planting project to last three to four hours, depending on the number of volunteers. Those who do volunteer will also be given 10 seedlings to plant on their own property.

“I believe the Bloomfield 4-H Club is interested in helping with this project and hope they can be involved,” Saunders said.

According to the Arbor Day Foundation Web site, to qualify to become a Tree City USA, a town or city must meet four standards established by The Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters. A city or town must have or establish:

1. A tree board or department;

2. A tree care ordinance;

3. A community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita; and

4. An Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

“The standards were established,” the Web site says, “to ensure that every qualifying community would have a viable tree management plan and program. It is important to note that they were also designed so that no community would be excluded because of size.”

Saunders is asking those interested in helping with the project to contact her by calling 736-2358 or by email at [email protected].

News, Pages 1 on 01/27/2010