Nashville Tree Foundation was founded in 1986, an outgrowth of Homecoming ’86 when 1,986 trees were planted in Davidson County. Under Betty Brown’s continuous leadership, the Foundation has worked to recreate the city’s urban forest in a variety of ways.

Nashville Tree Foundation Officers
and Board Members

Betty Brown
President since 1986
Community volunteer
615/373-8818
brownbettym@earthlink.net

Joan Link Armour
Secretary since 1986
President, Armour&Armour Advertising and Public Relations
615/269-4852
joan@armour-armour.com

Eleanor Willis
Treasurer and founding board member
Executive director, Friends of Warner Parks
615/370-8053
williseleanor@hotmail.com

Alice Ann Barge
Founding board member
Community volunteer and member of Metro Tree Advisory Committee
615/352-8358
mimibarge@aol.com

Kim Hawkins
Board member
Partner, Hawkins Partners, a landscape architectural firm
615/255-5218
hpikhawk@aol.com

Hollis Malone
Manager,Horticulture Dept.
Opryland Hotel
2802 Opryland Dr.
Nashville, Tn 37214
615/902-8055-w
615/871-5926- fax
hmalone@gaylordhotels.com

Steve Manning
President
Invasive Plant Control Inc.
P.O. Box 50556
Nashville, TN 37205
615/385-4319 - w
615/385-4124- fax
615/969-1309- cell
steve@ipc-inc.org

Pat Wallace
Board member
Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
615/833-1534, ext. 27
pwwallace@comcast.net

Libby Cheek
Coordinator
615/292-5175
nashvilletree@earthlink.net

George H. Cate Jr.
Attorney and expert on oak trees
615/352-8677

Other founding board members were attorney Justin Wilson and community volunteer Ann Thomason. The late Rena Wright served on the board for two years after retiring as director of Metro Beautification.

Highlights in Nashville Tree Foundation’s history:

• Forged partnership with Metro Parks to create ReLeaf Nashville, a five-year plan to replace trees damaged by tornadoes in April 1998. In just three years, the volunteer-driven project reached its goal of raising $1,000,000 and replacing 6,500 trees.

• Planted more than 200 trees in public housing complexes each year since 1986 in conjunction with Metropolitan Development and Housing Authority.

• Sponsored annual Big Old Tree contests each year since 1987 to create an inventory of the oldest and largest trees of various species in Davidson County.

• Designated more than a dozen sites as arboretums with at least 25 species of trees identified and a long-term plan for maintenance in place.

• Conducted awareness campaigns in cooperation with the Urban Forestry Council aimed at preventing improper pruning called "tree topping" and educating tree-owners on how to plant and care for trees.

• Enhanced public urban areas by planting and transplanting trees in parks and street medians.