Where Prospect Plants Its Trees, and Why the City Checks the Spot First
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
The City of Prospect's Fall 2026 Tree Canopy Agreement ends its list of homeowner pledges with five words in capital letters: "NO FLAGS – NO TREE – NO REFUND." It reads like a small piece of paperwork, but it explains how the program works. Prospect will help pay for a shade tree on your lawn. First, though, it wants to see where that tree will stand.
This fall that means two deadlines and one Saturday. Canopy tree orders are due at City Hall tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 23. ArborFest follows on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to noon. Behind both is a volunteer Forestation Board. Its own records show that placement causes more of the trouble than the choice of species.
At its Aug. 13, 2026 meeting, the board looked at the Paul Davis Memorial tree, a park tree that is struggling. The minutes blame drainage and road salt and give the plain diagnosis that "wrong place, wrong tree is a factor in the park." The fix under discussion was a Bald Cypress planted farther from the road. The board also suggested a Redbud for the Mike Powers Memorial tree near the pavilion. Joe Mann, the city's tree consultant, told the board he has had better results planting in fall.
The rest of those minutes are a walking tour of trees that failed. They list a dead tree or two on a city lot on Autumn Hill Court, a storm-damaged tree at the Westover entry that had to come out, a dead tree in the Hunting Creek Drive median just before Scenic Hill, and pines in Bridgepointe that may need removal later. In the 2025–2026 accomplishments section of the city's 2026–2027 tree plan, the board reports requiring the remediation or removal of "dozens of hazardous trees."
The plan also explains why the varieties change from year to year. Its diversity targets cap any single tree class at 30% of the canopy, any genus at 20%, and any species at 10%. When one kind of tree fails, a canopy built this way loses only a small share of its cover. Taken together, the two fall programs are how the city brings that thinking to private lawns.
The Fall 2026 Canopy Tree Program is the larger of the two offers. The homeowner pays $175 and the city covers the rest. That buys a tree 2 inches in diameter, a tree guard, mulch, and professional planting. A backyard spot may cost a little more, depending on access. This round has up to 20 trees, first come, first served, in six varieties:
The Canopy Tree Agreement sets out the sequence:
The siting rules repeat the lesson from the park. Trees may not go within 10 feet of overhead utility, internet, or cable lines. They should not go within 8 feet of a recent tree removal, and the agreement asks homeowners to avoid low spots, drainage areas, and wooded areas. Utility marking covers public lines only. Under the agreement, you are responsible for finding your own invisible fencing and irrigation lines and for any damage to them. The tree carries no warranty, and you keep the flag in place through planting so other service crews don't pull it up. The agreement includes a liability waiver as well. Read the full text before signing. This post is general information, not legal advice, and questions about the waiver belong with City Hall or your own attorney.
For help choosing among the six, the agreement points to the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and Arborday.org.
ArborFest is the free half of the season. The city's late-summer newsletter promises free 3-gallon trees for the community. At the August meeting, the board planned a 50-tree order of October Glory Maple, Kousa Dogwood, White or Burr Oak, and Beauty Magnolia. Possible additions were American Hornbeam, Pecan, Chinese Fringe, Carolina Silverbell, Jefferson Elm, and Katsura. That was a plan made in August, so the varieties on the tables Saturday may differ.
This year adds bulbs. Mayor Farnsley is bringing back Mayor's Beautiful Day with ArborFest, a program first started by Lonnie Faulk. Board members who remembered it said it was well received. The plan is five bulbs with each tree, most likely daffodils, for a total of 250 bulbs. The board left room to order more next year if demand calls for it. Connie Kuhn is preparing a handout on bulb planting and care to go with each bag of five.
ArborFest has been held at Prospect City Hall. The 2026 calendar listing gives the date and time but no location, so check the city calendar before you go. At last year's event, Jack Baggett of the Kentucky Division of Forestry was on hand to help residents, and the city gave out illustrated handouts on the species available.
Canopy Tree Program | ArborFest | |
|---|---|---|
Cost to homeowner | $175 | Free |
Tree size | 2-inch diameter | 3-gallon |
How many | Up to 20 | About 50 planned |
Key date | Order by Oct. 23 | Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to noon |
A 2-inch oak planted by a city-hired crew will shade its spot for decades, so the canopy agreement sends a board member out to see every one of those spots before planting.
The program is small on purpose. The 2024–2025 tree plan counts 28 canopy trees, 18 planted in fall 2024 and 10 in spring 2025, plus 27 trees planted on city and private land in calendar 2024. ArborFest gave away 75 flowering trees that season. The next plan's 2025–2026 accomplishments report 20 canopy trees, 11 in spring and 9 in fall, and 50 trees at ArborFest. They also note that some canopy participants signed up again after their first experience.
Set against "dozens" of hazardous trees removed in the same reporting period, the canopy program reads more like steady replacement than expansion, which helps explain why siting gets so much attention. Prospect has earned Tree City USA recertification from the Arbor Day Foundation 18 years in a row. The 2023–24 report counted the 16th, along with a seventh Growth Award.
The same placement thinking now covers memorial trees. The Forestation Board's Oct. 8 agenda includes replanting memorial trees in Little Hunting Creek Park with a Redbud and a Burr Oak. It also includes a memorial tree area by Putney Pond that would use an existing marker. Gathering memorial trees in one chosen spot, rather than scattering them wherever there is room, is the park-scale version of the flag in your front yard. The board's meetings are held on Webex and streamed on the city's YouTube channel for anyone who wants to follow along.
If you stop by City Hall Friday to drop off a canopy order, the Fall Book Sale is running that day and Saturday, Oct. 23 and 24, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It offers hundreds of books, and proceeds go to maintaining and improving the library. The Lawrence C. Falk Library is on the second floor of City Hall.
If you're deciding where a new shade tree belongs on your property, or how your mature trees will present when it's time to sell, I'm glad to walk the yard with you. Nancy Stevens. Let's Connect.
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