Tree News from Nashville 

Trees are a precious commodity in urban and suburban areas, so when one needs to be taken down, not only is it particularly noticeable, it may be a sensitive concern for residents. In this article, we’ll go over the reasons why a tree may need to be removed, what sort of equipment professionals use to accomplish the task safely, and the process of taking down a tree cautiously and effectively in a neighborhood setting. 

In early 2024, the Nashville Tree Conservation Corps submitted a grant application to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry for funds toward a collaborative project with Fisk University to revitalize its campus canopy cover. Grant funding has been approved, and the Fisk Tree Canopy Project will begin in the fall!

Hardy and elegant, the southern magnolia is a wonderful addition to any Nashville yard! It offers a wide range of benefits, such as beautiful, fragrant flowers and bushy evergreen foliage that provides privacy, shade, and an animal habitat year-round. Here, we’ll go over the “D.D. Blanchard” cultivar, which produces the large, creamy white flowers Nashvillians know and love. Read on to learn all about this superb species and its place in the neighborhood landscape!

The Metro Historic & Specimen Trees Program helps counter indiscriminate removal of the most significant canopy trees in our city. This gives homeowners some legal power to preserve trees on their property and ensure that even if the property is sold and developed, our big, old beloved trees may remain.

Oversight and maintenance of the trees found along the street falls under the domain of one of a number of public organizations depending on the particular need, including Metro Water Services (MWS), Nashville Electric Service (NES), and the Nashville Department of Transportation (NDOT). Here, we’ll go over those care situations, as well as how residents can plant new street trees.

Whether they live in trees, burrow under them, or use them to manage their environment, mammal niches both large and small take up space in wooded ecosystems. In this article on the fauna of Nashville’s canopy, we’ll explore the range of mammal relationships with trees and the local food web, also taking a look at how humans (we’re mammals, too!) fit into the mix. 

The overcup oak is a swampy native to the warm bottomlands and wetlands of the southeast. A member of the white oak family, it’s a particularly hardy species whose resilient characteristics, such as flood and drought tolerance, make it an excellent option for urban areas like Nashville.

In ovens, fireplaces, fire pits, and grills, wood is a natural source of heat that many of us enjoy. Whether burning firewood for fuel or for enjoyment (or both), the type of wood you choose makes a difference! The heat put off, the length of the burn, and even the scent are all variables when it comes to firewood needs and preferences. However, no matter the species or use, good preparation and storage are essential for a happy fire at home.

For birds, tree canopies provide essential habitats, and for trees, birds provide a range of supportive services that help maintain them throughout their lives and across generations. In this article on the fauna of Nashville’s canopy, we’ll explore the deep connections that exist between birds and trees. We’ll also share some tips on selecting trees to attract birds to your own yard to help support the local bird population.

To a nonprofit like the Nashville Tree Conservation Corps, volunteers are foundational! This is true throughout the organization; our managerial structure, planting and maintenance teams, generous donors, and caring partners volunteer their time and energy to fulfill our mission of promoting, preserving, protecting, and planting the trees that make up Nashville’s canopy ecosystem. 

The majestic bur oak tree is a beautiful symbol of environmental health and durability! This gigantic, long-lived oak is an important ecological species and is widely adaptable as a landscape specimen. Here, we’ll go over the features of bur oak trees and their environmental needs while highlighting their contributions to the local ecosystem.

Among the many wonderful things about trees, one of the most relieving is the knowledge that we can find refuge from the sun under a tall, leafy tree in the heat of summertime. Here, we’ll go over how shade trees make an impact on the climate, which species are sun-loving powerhouses of shade production, and how we benefit from them in multiple ways throughout the warmest months of the year.

There’s an oak for almost every situation, and for clay-heavy or lowland ground, the swamp white oak just might be the right fit! A robust native tree, this beautiful white oak species is a huge, long-lived shade tree that is very important to the local ecosystem, making it all the more fortunate that these tough oaks do well in urban and neighborhood areas.

National Pollinator Week 2024 is June 17 to 23, and we at the Nashville Tree Conservation Corps are so grateful for those busy little creatures! In this article, we’ll profile the bees, butterflies, and other wildlife species that move pollen from flower to flower and plant to plant. We’ll also share some information on a delightful Tennessee state program that manages pollinator environments along roadways, and we’ll provide some tips on what residents can do at home to create yards and gardens to attract pollinators. 

Some plants signal spring’s arrival by flowering in the cool months of March and April, but there are several Nashville trees that prefer the warmer half of spring. Here, we’ll go over five of those trees that extend the springtime floral show right up to summer.

A city’s trees are some of its most valuable assets! They provide a range of fundamental ecosystem services, offset the downsides of the built environment, and add to the beauty of an area. Here, we’ll go over how and why individuals and groups make a big difference in the quality and sustainability of Nashville’s canopy, as well as some tips on getting involved in tree conservation efforts.

2024 is a special year for the cicada population, as the Eastern United States is experiencing multiple waves of cicada emergences! In addition to the yearly late-summer cicadas, Nashville will be host to a brood of periodical cicadas over springtime, from May until July, roughly. Here, we’ll go over some of the basics on cicadas and what they mean for Nashville’s canopy.

When selecting a tree for hardiness, size, shade, and ornamental value, the Shumard red oak is a top contender. One of the largest red oaks, this native tree is a great choice for Nashville yards not only for its appealing characteristics, but also for its ability to tolerate the urban area and its variabilities. In this article, we’ll expand on the Shumard oak tree’s most favorable attributes.

The urban heat island effect occurs when a city’s temperature is significantly higher than the suburban and rural areas surrounding it, which can have severe impacts on human comfort and health. However, urban heat can be diminished by planting more trees and maintaining green spaces throughout the built environment. Here, we’ll go over how heat islands work, what effects increased temperatures can have, and what kind of difference trees and other plants can make to mitigate the hazardous warming effect. 

For the Eastern United States, springtime in 2024 is going to be unique! Two broods (or breeding groups) of periodical cicadas will emerge. Although Nashville will only see one of these two groups, the insects will be in much larger numbers than the annual cicadas that we hear in summer every year. If you’re located in Wilson or eastern Davidson counties, you may want to avoid making outdoor plans between May and July of this year, when the cicadas will be out in full force for several weeks.

In March 2024, legislation on new development in the city of Nashville was passed that now includes critical provisions for trees thanks to efforts led by Will Worrell, Nashville Tree Conservation Corps co-founder and board member. As part of NTCC’s mission to promote, preserve, protect, and plant trees in Nashville, contributing our expertise to developing legislation that positively affects the presence of trees in the city is an essential way of supporting our neighborhood canopies today and into the future.

Creating awareness about canopy care is one of the most important ways to keep our city green! To help spread the message, the Nashville Tree Conservation Corps team will have a booth at two events in April 2024: Nashville’s Earth Day festival on Saturday, April 20th, and Honeytree Meadery’s Arbor Day celebration on Sunday, April 28th. Come have a conversation with us and join your Nashville neighbors in honoring our environment and its produce! 

Elm trees can be found across the northern hemisphere, and while many were decimated in the twentieth century by Dutch elm disease, elm tree varieties have since been bred by nurseries to be resistant to the disease. The Frontier elm is one such cultivar, and it’s prized not just for its resilience but also for its more compact size, urban hardiness, and beautiful burgundy foliage in the fall. Here, we’ll go over why this elm tree has become such a popular planting choice.

When spring arrives, we welcome the warm weather, but for some of us, pollen season can range from annoying to downright disruptive. However, pollen is half of the reproductive equation of a plant, and it’s the material that needs to be moved from flower to flower for plants to make seeds. Since pollen must be distributed for trees, flowers, grasses, and food crops, successful pollination is crucial for robust and livable environments.

There are many variations of the cherry trees that we can appreciate in different ways throughout the year. There’s no better time to take in the beauty of Nashville’s cherry blossoms than the month of April; the annual Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival will be held this year on Saturday, April 13th in Nashville Public Square Park. Visitors will be able to view many kinds of cherry trees in all their spring splendor!

While there are many shapes and sizes of cherry blossom trees, the most popular cultivar among them is the Yoshino cherry blossom—a medium-height tree with a stout crown that, for a few weeks in mid-spring, bursts into bloom with bunches of blushing white flowers. Here, we’ll go over this cultivar’s background, the conditions it thrives in, as well as some suggestions on where you can enjoy this tree’s spectacular display in Nashville this spring.

In the wake of spring winds and storms, residents with trees on their properties are likely going to find woody debris of all sizes. In this article, we provide some practical guidance on using fallen branches and other debris to help care for Nashville’s urban forest. Instead of just dragging the woody material to the curb for pickup, consider these garden-friendly ways to use tree debris! 

Every tree that someone planted was a decision made, and the Shelby Avenue Arboretum is a project backed up with lots of heartfelt, thoughtful consideration that you can learn all about on its official website! At shelbyarboretum.org, residents and visitors of Nashville can read about how and why these trees were planted, curated, and chosen for specific themes; they can also find visual experiences and discover key ecological highlights about these trees. In this article, we’ll take a tour through the arboretum’s website as an introduction to this information-rich resource on these vibrant living exhibitions.

When seasons change, Nashville can reliably expect storms to arise from the fluctuations in temperature. The high winds that accompany rain, thunder, and lighting can have mild to devastating effects on the trees in our neighborhoods, from broken branches to whole fallen trees. While we can’t eliminate all risks, preventive maintenance routines can help homeowners avoid damage from weather events. Prepare for the unpredictable with our guide to safeguarding your trees and avoiding damage during Nashville’s stormy weather!