Last Friday, April 25, was Arbor Day, and the City of Fayetteville took the occasion to recognize a new town icon: a green ash tree in Walker Park, dubbed this year’s Amazing Tree.
This was the first year residents could vote for their favorite trees to become an official “Amazing Tree.” Kate Shirley nominated the green ash, which ultimately became this year’s winner. She’s a landscape architect and a member of the Urban Forestry Advisory Board, so she has an eye for this sort of thing. However, anyone who sees the ash’s trunk will instantly know why she picked it. The tree features a unique characteristic: a dramatic horizontal bend near its base.
A small crowd of local leaders and townspeople gathered under the tree’s uniquely crooked trunk last week to bestow its new title. Urban Forester Jon Scott kicked things off by noting the end of a new initiative the city had put on over the past week: Tree Week.
Tree Week events included native tree giveaways, lectures, guided hikes and the opportunity to talk to a tree. That may sound impractical, if not impossible. Still, the city utilized technology to give residents the opportunity to express their thoughts. City staff assigned 10 trees across various parks with unique email addresses. Signs on the trees encouraged visitors to scan QR codes and send a message, which could be anything from heartfelt notes to simple expressions of appreciation.
The Arbor Day event ended with Mayor Molly Rawn unveiling the plaque memorializing Walker Park’s green ash as the 2025 Amazing Tree. She also issued an Arbor Day proclamation, detailing why trees deserve the day.
