The Nashville Tree Conservation Corps Receives a Grant to Plant Trees on Fisk University Campus

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!

Our Fisk University Canopy

Fisk University Campus

Fisk University is a 40-acre campus located just west of downtown Nashville in an area facing rapid development and tree loss. The Fisk area is already one of the most heat-sensitive parts of Nashville, as identified in the August 2022 City of Nashville heat mapping project. 

The small, historically black liberal arts college is recently under new leadership and has partnered with the Nashville Tree Conservation Corps to remove hazardous, unhealthy trees, plant new ones, and develop a long-term care plan for the property’s canopy. The campus is an important parcel of green space in a part of the city with lots of built cover and too few trees.

Goals of the Grant-Funded Planting Project

The goals of the Fisk Tree Planting Project are:

1. Conduct an evaluation of existing trees on the campus of Fisk University,

2. Perform tree maintenance and remove hazardous, unhealthy ones,

3. Create a planting and maintenance plan with the college and community to manage the campus’ trees,

4. Plant 200 additional trees on the property to increase the campus canopy cover, and

5. Develop educational opportunities to learn about the value of the tree canopy and how to properly care for trees.

Once the trees have been planted, NTCC will help the university apply for official arboretum status with the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council. To qualify as an arboretum, a collection of at least 30 distinct tree species must be labeled and well-maintained, with the managers keeping a stewardship plan and providing a public education program.

Expected Outcomes

By improving the canopy cover while bolstering the college and community’s capacity to maintain it, the project’s goals aim to promote the following outcomes:

• Improvement of the condition and long-term management of campus trees. By doing so, the trees will be cared for and allowed to grow to maturity in healthy conditions.

• Increase of ecosystem services to the immediate area, with city-wide impacts such as combating the urban heat island effect and promoting native wildlife habitat. Healthy, mature trees are best at performing ecosystem services that have immediate and area-wide effects.

• Improvement of the local environment to create public health benefits, such as the air quality improvement and cooling effects of more trees. This means a higher quality of life for the neighborhood, which can support and be supported by local business development in a climate of canopy awareness.

• Influence the surrounding area to maintain and improve tree coverage. The project aims to build up the campus canopy as an important neighborhood greenspace, teach people how to care for trees in general, and motivate people to engage in tree planting and care initiatives to reforest more of the neighborhood.

The Fisk Tree Canopy Project is completely aligned with our mission to promote, preserve, protect, and plant trees across Nashville, and we’re looking forward to starting this exciting endeavor in the fall!

Play Your Own Part in the Canopy

Consider planting some new trees of your own this fall through NTCC’s tree sale. Or sign up to volunteer and help us plant and maintain trees across Nashville. If you haven’t already, subscribe to our newsletter to stay connected with us and updated on Nashville canopy news!