Trees are essential infrastructure. In recent years, the science has become clearer on how trees reduce air pollution, flooding and heat. And just being near them improves mental and physical health.
Alternatively, tree clearing affects everything from habitat loss and global warming to soil degradation and landslides.
The benefits of trees depend on location: planting them where people live is usually a good place to start.
Nashville is planning to plant 500,000 trees by 2050 through its Root Nashville campaign, which is sponsored by the city and the environmental nonprofit Cumberland River Compact.
The campaign seeks to increase the urban tree canopy on private property, which represents about 94% of Nashville’s roughly 500 square miles, through a program that gives free trees to neighborhoods that sign up.
“Each neighborhood gets 60 trees,” said Meg Morgan, campaign manager for Root Nashville. “People can get one to three trees. Sometimes, it goes fast, and there’s a waitlist. And we’ll try to increase the amount.”
Root Nashville is offering this residential tree program twice annually. Earlier this year, more than 30 neighborhoods signed up for trees that will be provided for citizens to plant this fall.
This cycle, there are a dozen eligible neighborhoods: Charlotte Park, Kenner Manor, Crieve Hall, Wedgewood-Houston, Elm Hill Acres, South Nashville, Glengarry, Battlemont, West Meade, Buena Vista Heights, Sylvan Heights, Maxwell Heights, The Nations and East End.
Trees often reflect equity — and density
Current canopy covers within these neighborhoods are mixed.
The Nations has roughly 13% canopy. Wedgewood-Houston has 17%, and Crieve Hall averages about 45% canopy cover. West Meade ranges from 56% to 80%, and Buena Vista Heights ranges from 14% to 27%, according to the Tree Equity Score — a map that scores neighborhoods based on factors like tree canopy, temperature, race and income.
A chunk of Buena Vista Heights has 92% of people in poverty, while West Meade sections have poverty rates ranging from 2% to 47%.
Most of these tree-eligible neighborhoods still have allotted saplings up for grabs. Trees will be delivered to residents in early 2023, Morgan said.
To determine if you are eligible to apply this cycle, Root Nashville recommends reaching out via their website or emailing [email protected] with a street address. The deadline to sign up is this Sunday, Oct. 2.
Anyone can sign their neighborhood up for tree delivery
If you live in a different neighborhood — and you want more trees along your street or backyard — you can apply to become a “neighborhood planting captain,” who is essentially someone who helps spread the word, often by walking door-to-door or by hosting a block party.
“We just really need the advocacy,” Morgan said. “We have the funding to bring the free trees.”
Root Nashville began in 2018 with the goal of planting half a million trees. Four years in, they have only planted about 5% of that goal with about 25,000 trees.
Nashville’s tree loss has not been quantified in the past few years, but the city’s record building boom suggests unfavorable numbers. In 2018, Metro Water Services reported that Davidson County lost 13% of its tree canopy, or about 918 acres, from 2008 to 2016. The agency is working on a new survey now.
Root Nashville has prioritized the neighborhoods in South Nashville, North Nashville and Madison for canopy restoration. The campaign also uses an “environmental justice rubric” to provide financial support to volunteers spreading the word about the residential program. Other priority areas include streets impacted by the 2020 tornado.
In Nashville, downtown has the lowest canopy cover, with some census blocks at less than 6% canopy cover. The Nissan Stadium area has the second lowest rating (of 432 census blocks) in the city — with just 8% canopy and 72% of people in poverty.
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