Trees, Trees, Trees
Benefits of Trees
Trees bring many benefits to our community, including economic, health, and environmental benefits. Trees enhance the beauty and value of homes, streets, and communities. Additionally, the beautification of our neighborhoods with trees and other plants brings about other positive benefits, like litter reduction and mental health benefits from being able to get out and experience nature. They can cool down our environments on hot summer days, reducing the urban heat island effect in cities, and they can also help us save on energy costs. Trees spaced strategically around a home can reduce air conditioning consumption in the summer by 50%.
Trees also clean our air and water, provide habitat for pollinators, and provide us with food, like nuts and fruits. Trees filter stormwater pollution by allowing runoff to infiltrate into the ground, and they also prevent erosion as their root structures help to hold soil in place.
Clearly, trees have immense value to us and to other species, so why not try and plant some in your own backyard! You want to make sure you’re planting the right trees, in the right places, otherwise you could potentially have unwanted side effects. Trees planted in the wrong place can cause property damage, and some trees might not be suitable for the environment, making it harder for them to survive. Below you will find suggestions for suitable trees to plant in East Tennessee and a quick and dirty guide on how to plant them.
Trees for East Tennessee
Here’s a shortlist of trees that will grow well in our region.
Silky Dogwood
Tulip Poplar - Tennessee’s official state tree. Their leaves turn bright gold in the fall, and the trees flower in the spring. They attract many pollinators but are a favorite nesting tree for birds.
Silky Dogwood - these trees bloom greenish to white flowers in the spring and attract several species of butterfly.
Bald Cypress - deciduous trees that will change colors and lose their needles in the fall.
Eastern Redbud - these trees bloom beautiful and edible, pink/ purple flowers in the early spring.
Red Mulberry - these trees bloom yellow flowers and catkins in the early spring and produce edible berries thereafter.
You can find more information on trees suitable for East Tennessee here and here.
Quick & Dirty Guide to Tree Planting
Kasey Krouse from the City of Knoxville’s Department of Urban Forestry informed KKB that winter is really the best time to plant trees in Knoxville - or late fall to early Spring.
“The science behind it is that trees are not always dormant in time to plant in early fall in East Tennessee… Likewise, plants may begin to wake up [during the] spring and grow. This process requires more available resources for the plant (such as water). So if you plant while the tree is dormant (between November and March), you are giving the tree an opportunity to establish roots,” while reducing the tree's exposure to other stressors.”
The Tennessee Environmental Council provides step-by-step instructions on how to plant a bare root seedling.
You can also take a look at Trees Knoxville’s guide to planting bare root seedlings for more information.
Here’s a quick and dirty guide to planting trees that have established root balls (source Home Advisor):
Step 1
The first step in planting a tree is to dig a hole that is at least two to three times wider than the root ball, which allows the roots to spread. Make the hole deep enough so that when you place the tree in the hole, the root collar sits just above or level with the top of the hole.
Step 2
Loosen the root ball gently before you place it into the prepared hole, and situate the tree in the hole so it’s straight. Consider using a pole to support it while it grows.
Step 3
Fill the hole with soil and pat it firmly to finish planting.
Step 4
Water the newly planted tree, but don’t fertilize it. Keep the tree adequately watered for the first few months, and remove any weeds that grow around the tree.
Finally, Arbor Day has a great guide on planting trees that have started their lives in containers. Make sure you’re following instructions that match the stage of growth your tree is in.
And with that, you’re ready to get outside and start planting! Now is the perfect time to put those trees you've been wanting for your house in the ground. Or if you’d like some time to plan and learn more, you can opt to participate in the Tennessee Environmental Council’s effort to plant 750k trees on Tree Day 2021 on March 20th. You can purchase trees directly from their website for a very affordable donation of $1.99 per tree.
And if you don’t have space or the yard to plant trees in, but you’d like to get out there and help anyways, Trees Knoxville has a volunteer forester program you can join, and often hosts their own tree planting events. They also have a host of instructional videos and links if you need more information or are eager to get started!