Bella Vistans lined up early for their pick of more than 120 trees at Blowing Springs last Friday morning.
Bella Vista communications manager Cassi Lapp said the Walton Family Foundation provided a grant to pay for 100 trees, which the city gave out to residents.
The Northwest Arkansas Master Naturalists donated another 20 trees, she said, and the Arkansas Forestry Commission donated a few as well.
This giveaway was part of an Arbor Day celebration, she said, which a city can do on any given day. This celebration is a requirement for Bella Vista to become recognized through the Tree City USA program, she said.
Master naturalist Sheryl Hall said this is an excellent time to plant a tree because trees are about to go dormant. The trees will adjust well, she said, so long as they are planted before the first freeze.
"It's fantastic," she said.
Residents came and picked up redbuds, bald cypress, pin oaks, jane magnolias and tulip trees, she explained.
"They went quick," Hall said.
Bella Vista resident Bill Ryan left with a tulip tree.
Ryan said he was excited to see an event like this because it shows locals care about their environment.
"What a fantastic community that we live in," he said.
Mike Abb, who sits on the POA board of directors and the city's freshly-formed tree advisory board, helped load trees and offered advice during the giveaway.
Bella Vista is one of the nicest forests in the area, he said, and it's important to keep it that way by adding trees.
"That's 120 more trees in Bella Vista," he said. "That's pretty awesome."
General News on 10/17/2018