On Thursday, July 7 at 1 p.m. there will be a Fayetteville Tree Hug.

In celebration of the very old and large Cottonwood Tree at Cato Springs and Vale Streets (1410 Cato Sps.) west of the railroad track, everyone is welcome to come celebrate this tree, which was growing here in Fayetteville during the early days of our town’s settlement in this area called Fayette Junction, and to cool off underneath its branches while enjoying some iced tea or lemonade. Bring a lawn chair if you wish.

Due to road widening activities, great concern for the long-term survival and health of this tree has been expressed by citizens familiar with the area, its history, and this tree’s beauty. The celebration is to bring attention to the various threats which this tree may face and to ask the city for two specific written commitments:

#1.– That there will be no trenching within the drip-line of this tree because that would sever its vital root system, and instead that the needed utilities, etc. be installed via a bored tunnel beneath the root system at a depth recommended by the Arkansas Forestry Commission’s urban forester
and/or the city’s urban forester. In this process the bore should also extend beyond the root system of the healthy 22 yr old pine tree just west of the cottonwood in order to protect it as well.

#2. — That there will be no driving, paving, dumping, digging, parking, or other disruptive construction activities done around these trees’ crucial root systems/drip line areas, which will be fenced, and the fencing will remain for the duration of the construction process.
You’re invited to sip a cold lemonade with neighbors and sign the petition to save this historic tree. Our city needs to know how important this is to us.

Map

View Cottonwood Tree in a larger map