The Leader

BEAUTY-AIR-SHADE-PEACE
Story By BRIAN RODRIGUEZ
Photos By DAN LIMKE

___A number of Cabot residents, including Mayor Mickey D. "Stubby" Stumbaugh and the Cabot Gardening Club, joined Cabot City Beautiful in the celebration of Arbor Day at the Arlene Cherry Memorial Library on a recent Saturday.
___ A nuttall oak, donated by the Garden Gallery and the First Electric Cooperative of Arkansas, was to be planted before the Arbor Day ceremony. "We really appreciate getting this beautiful tree at the library," said Katie Aamold, director of the library.
___ Moisture from the previous night's rain made planting the tree difficult though, said James Popham of the Arkansas Urban Forestry Council and Cabot City Beautiful.
___ Popham, Cam Steele, vice president of Cabot City Beautiful, and Robert Harold, also of Cabot City Beautiful, arrived at the library at 7 a.m. Saturday to plant the tree before the ceremony began.
___ Steele said the group had planned on taking an hour to plant it, but gave in two hours later battling the overly moist soil.
___ "If you wanted to see something funny, you should have seen us sliding around in that hole," he said.
___ They placed the tree in the center of the freshly dug hole, but it sunk down where they placed it, sinking too low for proper planting.
___ Steele said they got in the hole to pull the tree out, but it was not to be.
___ "Our feet went down and the tree didn't come out," he said.
___ Popham said the group returned to finish planting the tree later that day to let the soil dry a bit.
___ In the meantime, the group covered the roots with dirt to keep them moist.
___ Stumbaugh signed a proclamation Oct. 21 declaring Saturday, Oct. 30, to be Arbor Day in Cabot.
___ "Trees are a valuable resource that significantly enhances the quality of life, beauty and environment," Stumbaugh said in a proclamation.
___ "Trees are a renewable resource giving us paper, wood for our homes, fuel for our fires and countless other wood products," he continued.
___ "Trees reduce the erosion of our precious topsoil by wind and water, lower heating and cooling costs, moderate temperature, clean the air, produce oxygen, and provide habitat for wildlife."
___ Shane Booth, county ranger with the Arkansas Forestry Commission, was a key speaker for the event.
___ "My worst-case scenario is to drive into a town without trees in it," he said. "It is a day to set aside to celebrate trees in the city and the role they play in our lives."
___ Booth said they have provided inspiration to poets, writers, and artists, while cleaning the air and providing shade.
___ "That is heaven on earth," he said, speaking of the shade.
___ "I find my best peace in life just sitting under a tree and reading."
___ Booth also encouraged those in attendance to push for Cabot to become the 23rd active member of the Tree City USA program.
___ "You can tell me about the importance of trees in our community, or you can show me the importance of trees in our community," he said.
___ Arkansas has only 22 program participants to date, including Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Little Rock Air Force Base.
___ Requirements include a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, an Arbor Day observance and proclamation, and a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita.
___ The celebration met the proclamation and observance requirement, but no tree board or department is present in the city.
___ The other two requirements may have been met already, but remain questionable, Popham said. He said the city still has a basic tree ordinance on file, but questioned updating and enforcing the ordinance.
___ He also said the community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita requirement might already have been met, but the per capita ratio is unknown.
___ A lot of factors contribute to the funding total, like the value of volunteer time, and anything the city does with trees, including pruning, removing, planting, and mapping them.

Arkansas Forestry Commission County Ranger Shane Booth was one of the many speakers for the Arbor Day celebration, telling of the importance of trees in his own life.	BEAUTY-AIR-SHADE-PEACE Story By BRIAN RODRIGUEZ Photos By DAN LIMKE ___A number of Cabot residents, including Mayor Mickey D. "Stubby" Stumbaugh and the Cabot Gardening Club, joined Cabot City Beautiful in the celebration of Arbor Day at the Arlene Cherry Memorial Library on a recent Saturday. ___ A nuttall oak, donated by the Garden Gallery and the First Electric Cooperative of Arkansas, was to be planted before the Arbor Day ceremony. "We really appreciate getting this beautiful tree at the library," said Katie Aamold, director of the library. ___ Moisture from the previous night's rain made planting the tree difficult though, said James Popham of the Arkansas Urban Forestry Council and Cabot City Beautiful. ___ Popham, Cam Steele, vice president of Cabot City Beautiful, and Robert Harold, also of Cabot City Beautiful, arrived at the library at 7 a.m. Saturday to plant the tree before the ceremony began. ___ Steele said the group had planned on taking an hour to plant it, but gave in two hours later battling the overly moist soil. ___ "If you wanted to see something funny, you should have seen us sliding around in that hole," he said. ___ They placed the tree in the center of the freshly dug hole, but it sunk down where they placed it, sinking too low for proper planting. ___ Steele said they got in the hole to pull the tree out, but it was not to be. ___ "Our feet went down and the tree didn't come out," he said. ___ Popham said the group returned to finish planting the tree later that day to let the soil dry a bit. ___ In the meantime, the group covered the roots with dirt to keep them moist. ___ Stumbaugh signed a proclamation Oct. 21 declaring Saturday, Oct. 30, to be Arbor Day in Cabot. ___ "Trees are a valuable resource that significantly enhances the quality of life, beauty and environment," Stumbaugh said in a proclamation. ___ "Trees are a renewable resource giving us paper, wood for our homes, fuel for our fires and countless other wood products," he continued. ___ "Trees reduce the erosion of our precious topsoil by wind and water, lower heating and cooling costs, moderate temperature, clean the air, produce oxygen, and provide habitat for wildlife." ___ Shane Booth, county ranger with the Arkansas Forestry Commission, was a key speaker for the event. ___ "My worst-case scenario is to drive into a town without trees in it," he said. "It is a day to set aside to celebrate trees in the city and the role they play in our lives." ___ Booth said they have provided inspiration to poets, writers, and artists, while cleaning the air and providing shade. ___ "That is heaven on earth," he said, speaking of the shade. ___ "I find my best peace in life just sitting under a tree and reading." ___ Booth also encouraged those in attendance to push for Cabot to become the 23rd active member of the Tree City USA program. ___ "You can tell me about the importance of trees in our community, or you can show me the importance of trees in our community," he said. ___ Arkansas has only 22 program participants to date, including Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Little Rock Air Force Base. ___ Requirements include a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, an Arbor Day observance and proclamation, and a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita. ___ The celebration met the proclamation and observance requirement, but no tree board or department is present in the city. ___ The other two requirements may have been met already, but remain questionable, Popham said. He said the city still has a basic tree ordinance on file, but questioned updating and enforcing the ordinance. ___ He also said the community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita requirement might already have been met, but the per capita ratio is unknown. ___ A lot of factors contribute to the funding total, like the value of volunteer time, and anything the city does with trees, including pruning, removing, planting, and mapping them.	A nuttall oak, was donated by the Garden Gallery and the First Electric Cooperative of Arkansas, was used in Cabot's Oct. 30 Arbor Day ceremony in front of the Arlene Cherry Memorial Library.