Blog: City Blog

Volunteers and Public Service Department Complete Tree Plantings Along North Knoxville Street

This winter, 30 volunteers from Trees Knoxville teamed up with City Public Service Department staff to plant 50 trees along Burwell Avenue in just under three hours. This previously relatively barren street with no trees is now home to an assortment of trees including bur oaks, American elms, tulip poplars and honey locust.

The Feb. 16 planting of these two-inch caliper trees was a collaborative project by City Horticulture, Urban Forestry and Public Service Construction crews that assisted with setup, transportation and planting.

Following a 9 a.m. demonstration by City Urban Forester Kasey Krouse, volunteers selected their shovels and took to the street. Due to recent heavy rainfall, the group was able to make short work of the malleable soil, and by 11:30 a.m., nearly every tree was planted and upright in the ground.

As the trees grow, they’ll provide many added benefits for the community - enhancing biodiversity, increasing property values, cooling and filtering the air, and reducing carbon emissions.

As an educational experience, the group learned the best way to plant and mulch trees to promote future success. Several volunteers who assisted had previously taken the Volunteer Forester Class with the City of Knoxville and Trees Knoxville. These trained Volunteer Foresters were paired with those new to or less familiar with tree planting. By orchestrating such a pairing, the certified Volunteer Foresters were able to guide the group to properly plant each tree and make the project a success.

The City of Knoxville and Trees Knoxville will host another Volunteer Forester Class starting April 24. Those interested can sign up at www.treesknoxville.org.

- Mariah Lowry, CAC AmeriCorps member, with the City of Knoxville Urban Forestry Division

Tree Planting

Posted by On 22 March, 2019 at 2:02 PM