Widening Cato Springs Road need not kill historic tree: Please attend gathering at 1 p.m. Thursday, July 7, 2011

HUGGING FAYETTEVILLE'S TREES

ON THURSDAY, JULY 7, AT 1:00PM there will be a  FAYETTEVILLE TREE HUG  in celebration of the very old and large COTTONWOOD TREE  at Cato Springs Road and Vale Avenue (1410 Cato Springs) west of the railroad.

Everyone is welcome to come celebrate this tree, which was growing in Fayetteville during the early days of our town's settlement in this area called Fayette Junction, and to cool off beneath its branches while 

enjoying some iced tea or lemonade.  Bring a lawn chair if you wish. 

Because of road widening, great concern for the long-term survival

and health of this tree has been expressed by people 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-year-old pine tree just

west of the cottonwood in order to protect it as well.

2.

That there will be no driving, paving, digging, dumping, 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.