Litchy garners 2012 Urban Forestry award

Alison Litchy of Fort Smith, urban forester with the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith and the city of Fort Smith, was named 2012 Urban Forestry Professional of the Year by the Arkansas Urban Forestry Council.

Litchy has worked with UAFS since 2009 as the University’s urban forester. In this position, she manages the day-to-day care of the university's urban forest. Her role with the City of Fort Smith is to improve the health of the city’s urban forest in the parks and to educate the public to maintain their trees.

She has been involved in helping UAFS achieve Tree Campus USA designations for the past three years, with the first recognition in 2009 placing the University as the first higher education institution in Arkansas to achieve that status.

Litchy has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture, specializing in outdoor recreation management from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She previously had experience with the Lake County Forest Preserves in Illinois, where she trained in forestry. Litchy is also Forest Service-certified for performing prescribed burns to enhance and create a safer ecosystem.

The Arkansas Urban Forestry Council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of urban and community trees.