Trees grown in Bentonville

Young trees line a section of Southeast J Street on Friday in Bentonville.
Young trees line a section of Southeast J Street on Friday in Bentonville.

BENTONVILLE -- Young trees lining main transportation corridors are evidence of the city's effort to grow its urban tree canopy.

An urban tree canopy provides environmental and economic benefits, according to a tree canopy assessment the city conducted in 2014. Canopies help remove air pollution, help manage storm water runoff, help buildings manage temperatures and increase property values, according to the assessment.

Bentonville’s Urban Forest

The city’s trees reduce infrastructure costs, increase property value and contribute to safe and healthy living for residents, according to a tree canopy assessment by Plan-It Geo.

The assessment, completed in 2014, estimates that trees have annually contributed $1.7 million in air pollution removal, $500,000 in carbon removal and $2.8 million in avoided stormwater infrastructure costs.

Source: Staff Report

Partnerships

Wal-Mart has given the city $25,000 annually for the last few years to help buy trees for the city’s annual Tree Planting Blitz that takes place each fall. The Walton Family Foundation also helps supply trees for the city’s tree give-a-way to residents that takes place twice a year.

Source: Staff Report

The survey, done by Plan-It Geo, concluded more needed to be done to replace some of the city's tree canopy lost because of development, said Troy Galloway, community and economic development director.

The city had an average 25 percent tree coverage, 4,982 acres of urban tree canopy and 9,621 acres of possible planting area when the assessment was done in 2014.

The assessment set a goal for the city to have a 35 percent, or an additional 2,060 acres, of cover.

The city works with community volunteers to plant between 700 to 1,000 trees annually during its Tree Planting Blitz, which typically takes place in October.

David and Deb Short have volunteered for the event since it started in 2013. Both are master gardeners, and David Short is a member of the city's Tree and Landscape Committee.

The old trees in downtown Bentonville attracted them to live there, he said in an email.

"The quality of life is improved in a neighborhood with a dense tree canopy," he said. "Just as trails attract people to an area, having a lot of trees similarly draws people in," he added later.

The planting blitz has focused on corridors to create more pedestrian and bicycle friendly environments, enhance aesthetics and reap some of the environmental benefits of trees, Galloway said.

"In the long run, I think the end state here is that we've got a city that has tree-lined streets, that has parks, that has ample shade," he said. That shade would allow people to take a stroll down those streets in July and August, he said.

There's been a less than 10 percent loss rate of the few thousand trees that have been planted over the last few years, Galloway said, adding a tree's survival rate increases after its first three to five years.

The Parks and Recreation and the Public Works departments oversee the care of newly planted trees while they establish roots.

The Public Works crews focus on the trees along Southwest I Street, Tiger Boulevard, Southeast Day Street, East Central Avenue and Southwest 14th Street between Southwest I Street and South Walton Boulevard.

"Watering is the biggest thing we do," said Mike Bender, public works director, about tree maintenance.

The green water feeder bags that wrap the young trees can hold up to 20 gallons of water. They each take two to three minutes to fill, which adds up to between 60 to 75 hours to fill the 1,500 bags, Bender said. The number doesn't include the trees planted in and around parks that the Parks and Recreation Department maintains.

Heat and rain also play a role in how often the bags need attention, he said. They're being filled about once every two weeks now, but it would be better if it could be every week.

"It stretches us in the summer, and that's when it's critical for them," Bender said.

The city has used watering bags for the last couple of years. Without them, it would take about 10 minutes to water each tree, he said. They're also more efficient because they contain the water to the tree's roots.

The city is at capacity to care for the trees, officials said, and is looking to be more specific on what it plants where. Some trees don't root as well as others in certain locations or simply take longer to root, requiring more care for a longer time.

"You got to make sure the species fits the location," Bender said.

The community can also help by caring for them, Galloway said. He encourages community and business members to help by watering and pruning trees that have been planted near their homes and businesses.

"These trees are planted for the community," he said. "They are intended to beautify, enhance the environment (and) enhance the aesthetics."

NW News on 07/23/2016

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