PB green efforts among forestry grant recipients

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division is awarding Urban & Community Forestry Grants to five entities, including a Pine Bluff effort.

Funds will be used for community projects that will develop, improve, and/ or promote urban and community trees and forests, according to a news release.

The recipients and projects are:

■ City of Pine Bluff — Green Spaces, Green Streets (GS2) Program.

■ City of Conway Tree Board — Dave Ward Interstate Beautification Project.

■ City of Trumann — Cedar Park/Highway 463 North Tree Planting Project.

■ Crooked Creek Conservation District — Streambed & Park Improvement Project.

■ UALR (University of Arkansas at Little Rock) Public Radio — Urban & Community Forestry Awareness Radio Campaign.

“The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is pleased to award these grants that will help communities across the state improve urban and community trees and forests,” said Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward. “Urban and community trees and forests provide many environmental benefits including improving air quality, energy conservation, and reducing soil and water erosion.”

The Forestry Division ranked proposals based on criteria that included: improvements to a community’s tree management program; implementation plan for the project; level of community involvement; educational components; and tree care with long-term maintenance planning. Communities that participate in the Tree City USA, Tree Campus, and Tree Line programs received additional ranking points, according to the release.

Urban & Community Forestry Grants, administered by the Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division, are made available through grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Projects funded in 2020 must be completed by Aug. 15, 2022.

For more on the grant program, contact Krissy Thomason at kristine.thomason@agriculture.arkansas. gov or (479) 228-7929. Details: agriculture.arkansas. gov.