BENTONVILLE, Arkansas — The Walton Family Foundation is supporting efforts to bring new trees and shrubs to Northwest Arkansas for the fourth consecutive year.
The foundation will provide more than $900,000 in grants to help plant 930 trees and shrubs in Benton County this year.
Steuart Walton recommended the grants, which will help increase and diversify the region’s tree canopy and complement its widely used outdoor offerings.
Nine municipalities and the Bentonville Park Conservancy will add large and small trees near trails, highways, parks, schools, playgrounds and other public spaces with the funding.
The plantings, which include more than 30 species, will help enhance livability, economic activity and outdoor recreation opportunities. To ensure continued growth, funding will also support year-round supplemental watering and mulching.
As the trees mature, communities will gain additional benefits including better air quality, increased shade, cleaner water, improved wildlife habitat and new local produce options.
Communities will host giveaways in the coming weeks for residents to receive 2,250 smaller trees in 3 to 5-gallon pots.
Socially-distanced giveaways will be held between mid-October and early November in Avoca, Bella Vista, Bentonville, Centerton, Decatur, Gentry, Gravette, Pea Ridge, Rogers and Siloam Springs. Each organization will release details on their respective events.
To date, the foundation has provided funding for more than 10,000 new trees in Benton County.
The plantings have helped boost interest in urban forestry, increase engagement in outdoor beautification efforts and improve shade along the region’s trails and the Razorback Regional Greenway.
Watch: The City Of Bentonville Hosts Spring Tree Giveaway
