The information attained through the Arkansas Forestry Commission's Urban and Community Forestry Assistance grants have helped UA Fort Smith set the groundwork for tree preservation, care and planting while at the same time developing an educational urban forestry awareness program and arboretum master plan.

2005-2006 Project Goal - Implementing an Urban Forester
The fourth goal is the hiring of an urban forester who is to 1) perform annual tree maintenance in the arboretum by organizing, planning, scheduling, provide training for staff concerning the latest tree care information, and assisting in tree pruning, 2) manage the tree inventory by means of keeping records of donor trees that have been planted or adopted through the "Growing Your Dreams" campaign, ordering trees for donor tree plantings, update the campus tree inventory database, and the arboretum website, 3) assist the city of Fort Smith with developing and obtaining approval for a forestry position and assisting the city and the University with grants to sustain various tree projects.

2004-2005 Project Goal - Arboretum Master Plan and Utility Identification
Our third and final goal before officially dedicating our Arboretum is 1) to identify campus utilities via GPS/GIS technology, 2) develop future tree planting locations and species for our overall Arboretum Master Plan, and 3) develop community opportunities for campus tree planting support and gifts.

2003-2004 Project Goal - Arboretum Development and Technology Transfer Project
The second part of our overall arboretum goal was to 1) initiate labeling unique individual tree species, 2) develop a website virtual tour 3) develop a self-guided tour map and 4) continue updating the existing tree GIS database.

2002-2003 Project Goal - Tree Inventory and Assessment Project
The tree inventory project was initiated to 1) further guide planting directions 2) assess current tree conditions for future care and budget needs 3) identify potentially hazardous trees to individuals, and/or safety issues for traffic and power lines, and 4) bring greater awareness of the contribution of the urban forest to the campus and community.