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“This isn’t just a large-scale garden; it’s an urban forest where
Gifts that Grow Giving a new tree or adopting an existing tree is a wonderful way to support UA Fort Smith. New trees are two-inchdiameter saplings; gifts not only fund their purchase, but also their ongoing care. A wide variety of species are available. Trees offered for adoption are among the oldest and most significant on campus. Gifts help fund the specialized care these magnificent trees need. Trees can be adopted to memorialize or honor loved ones or important occasions. Markers placed on new and adopted trees bear the date of planting or adoption, the name of the memorial or honoree and, if desired, the name of the giver.
pistache comes close. See the specimen given to the University in memory of R.A. Young, Jr. by Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Young III in front of the Fullerton Administration Building. Dobbs sees the arboretum and its accompanying website as a valuable resource for area homeowners, who can see mature trees of a wide variety of species and take advantage of the considerable experience and knowledge he and his staff have accumulated over the years.
Graceful garden benches can also be given, each bearing a plaque noting the date of placement, the name of the honoree or memorial, and the name of the giver. To learn more about giving opportunities, contact Lynn Nancarrow in the UA Fort Smith Foundation office at (479) 788-7020 or lnancarr@uafortsmith.edu.
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BELL TOWER spring/summer 2010
Long Branches Come fall, the UA Fort Smith campus swarms with local high school, junior high, and elementary students collecting leaves, like those from the Bradford
pear (above), to identify for school projects. “It doesn’t take ‘em long to figure out, ‘Hey, let’s go to the University. The trees are already labeled there,’” says Dobbs. That may compromise the educational value of the assignment a bit, but it also brings lots of potential students, local teachers, and parents to campus. The arboretum acts not only as recruiting tool, but also a community-builder. Local Master Gardeners frequently train on campus with Plant Operations staff, and Jennen was instrumental in earning Tree City USA status for the City of Fort Smith in 2007. Urban forester Alison Litchy actually divides her time between the city and the University, helping Fort Smith