What's all the buzz about Brood X?

Brood X is the 17-year periodical cicada that is expected to emerge in the millions, filling the air with their buzzing mating-call. These cicadas require a deep soil temperature of 64°F in order to emerge from their underground slumber. Given the fair weather we are experiencing in Nashville, it is likely these conditions will be reached this week. Although cicadas are harmless to humans and play a valuable role in our ecosystem, these insects can cause damage to young trees. Female cicadas cut small slits into the twigs of deciduous trees in which they lay their eggs. This can result in long-term structural weakness to the branches.

Check out this video from filmmaker Samuel Orr to learn more about the emergence of cicadas!

Return of the Cicadas from motionkicker on Vimeo.

Big Old Tree Contest: Honorable Mentions

The Nashville Tree Foundation started the Big Old Tree Contest over 30 years ago as a way to educate the public on the importance of large trees, but it has evolved over time into a documentation of Nashville’s most notable specimen trees. We share our love of trees and mission to preserve urban forests with many other organizations and institutions, and the nominations in the Big Old Tree Contest help reflect this connectivity. While the following nominations did not receive a “champion” status by our contest’s criteria, their stories offer a unique insight into some of the less-known aspects of urban forests, and why organizations that work to protest them are so essential.

Platanus occidentalis : nomination by Friends of Radnor Lake

Steve Ward, Park Manager at Radnor Lake State Park for 19 years, nominated a Sycamore tree located on a parcel of land located just north of the state park. The land was once intended to be developed and stripped of its natural features, so without intervention, this tree would most likely have been removed. However, thanks to Friends of Radnor Lake (FORL), it was purchased in May of 2018 and will be added to the Radnor Lake State Natural Area. Those native to Nashville may be familiar with this organization, but for those who are unaware, FORL is a nonprofit dedicated to land acquisition and preservation of natural areas. FORL has conducted extensive work and research in watershed and wildlife habitat protection, water quality monitoring, and trail/park maintenance. Additionally, Friends of Radnor Lake goes beyond just preserving the lands that are already under state protection. One of their major roles is using grant money and fundraising to acquire lands surrounding Radnor Lake in order to preserve them for the enjoyment of generations to come. They work as a facilitator between private property owners and the state in order to procure private lands and convert them into public-accesible or protected land. At this moment, this piece of land that was once intended to be developed for alternate uses is now being protected by the state under the Natural Areas Preservation Act of 1971. According to Stave, this law is the “bible” by which land protection and preservation agencies abide, and it has been a crucial tool in creating immunity for lands with unique ecological or recreational value. There are several factors that contribute to a land’s value, one of which being the presence of uncommon or even endangered plant or animal populations. Trees of significant size or age most certainly fall into this category. Besides this Sycamore’s massive size of 125 feet tall with a 173” circumference, it also happens to reside at the head of the Radnor Lake Waterhsed. The creek that once ran through this parcel of land had been filled in at the time of the purchase, assumably by the original landowners. After tearing down the old house in October of 2019, Radnor Lake staff and volunteers are preparing for restoration efforts to revert this land back to its original state. This process will include removal of fill and piping and exotic plants, and reverting the stream to its original flow. Steve hopes that this beautiful Sycamore tree will be able to eventually serve as a highlight along a trail for the public to enjoy. He underscores the importance of big old trees like this one, as they offer more than simply being an exemplary plant specimen; they can tell a story. While populations of unique or endangered vegetation must be kept safe from any disturbance making public interaction quite limited, trees like this Sycamore can provide a glimpse into Nashville’s history for park visitors and serve as a symbol of the importance of the efforts of organizations like FORL. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done to revert this land to its natural state, but we hope to someday see this beautiful tree incorporated into the park’s extensive trail system.

Quercus prinus : nomination by Radnor to River

Another nomination that stood out to us this year was one that is notable not for its size- but its age. The characteristic that most people think of when considering a tree’s value, and the characteristic that we use to judge these trees, is their circumference and height. However, while we have identified some amazingly large trees in Davidson County since the contest’s beginning in 1987, it is essential to point out that a tree’s size is not necessarily an indication of its value. Dr. Noah Charney expressed this in his nomination of a particular Chestnut Oak in West Meade that he estimates to be 200-300 years old, and the oldest tree he knows of in Nashville. While urban trees are often able to grow to exceptional sizes fairly quickly because of a lack of competition, older trees in forests are typically smaller because they spend their lives in constant competition with their surroundings. The photo above is of an incomplete core that Dr. Charney extracted from this tree, showing that despite its smaller size in comparison to other Chestnut Oaks, it is still of an incredible age. While this alone is impressive, what is more intriguing is that Dr. Charney believes this tree to be a part of one of the only intact old-growth forests in the Nashville area. The term “old-growth” describes forests of significant maturity, though it can often be used ambiguously. Some may say that an old-growth forest is one that has never been disturbed or cut in any way. While forests matching this definition certainly exist in the United States, they are mostly under state or federal protection. Old-growth in the case of the forest in West Meade refers not only to the age of the trees, but to a certain composition of trees and vegetation that only occurs in forests in late stages of maturity. This variance in composition of vegetation throughout time and without disturbance is called succession. For example, if you observe an empty field, what kinds of plants will you find, and in what ratios? What about after 20 years, or 50 years? After many, many more years without disruption, the structure of the field will have changed slowly and drastically to become an old-growth forest with a distinct formation of understory vegetation and canopy trees. Chestnut Oaks are classic old-growth canopy trees in Middle Tennessee, as well as Hickory and Walnut trees. Old growth forests provide both historical significance- as a glimpse into what much of our land would resemble without human interference- and exceptional ecological importance as well. Not only do older forests sequester more carbon and are more effective in pollution filtration and preventing erosion, their structural complexity offers diverse habitat for wildlife; something that solitary urban trees often lack. We are ecstatic to highlight such a fascinating part of Nashville’s ecological history and recognize this unique nomination. This Chestnut Oak represents an exemplary specimen within a whole diverse forest of notable trees. Dr. Charney wishes to emphasize the importance of mature forests, and works broadly in conservation ecology to preserve Nashville’s natural areas. He is currently the executive director of Radnor to River, a conservation organization that strives to protect natural areas in West Meade, as it acts as an “ecological corridor”, and creates connectivity of undeveloped land in Nashville. Radnor to River works with city government and other nonprofit organizations to create official protections for lands with high conservational value, reshape approaches to urban land preservation, identify and map areas with unique plant and animal populations, and raise public awareness about the importance of conservation.

Protecting our urban forests

An essential part of our mission is to preserve urban trees because of the immense benefits they provide to our community. When you think of Nashville’s “urban forest”, you might just think of street trees, green spaces, and the trees in your front or back yard. However, forest ecosystems surrounding large cities like Nashville are also an essential natural resource that must be conserved. If you love big old trees as much as we do, supporting organizations like Friends of Radnor Lake, and Radnor to River is a great way to be involved with protecting our forests and natural areas. You can learn more about their work and missions and find opportunities to get involved at radnor2river.org and radnorlake.org.

Is this the prettiest spring ever? Or are we noticing the trees for the first time | Opinion

Weather, infestations and development are destroying Nashville's trees just as we need nature to relax us more than ever.

Despite more than 30 years of studying, planting and caring for trees, I still delight in spring and the sense of renewal it brings each year. But this year feels different.

How many times have you heard someone say, “This is the prettiest spring I can remember”? Perhaps it is us, not spring, that has changed.

This year, spring coincided with the unprecedented order to stay at home, upending life as we know it. Overnight, the pace of life slowed and our horizons receded. We spent time looking out our windows, exploring our yards, and strolling up and down our streets. We noticed the cherry and dogwood blossoms and the daily changes in leaf emergence. It was the prettiest spring we could remember.

The benefit of nature

Before social distancing, we went outside for a run or a walk, raising our heartbeat to maximize calories burned in the precious few minutes we carved out for exercise.

Metro Parks horticulturist Randall Lantz puts on a deer guard as he and his crew at Shelby Park are plant trees around the parks in Nashville, Tenn. on Wednesday, April 22, 2020. 115 cherry trees have been planted in Nashville from donations after 10 were removed from the riverfront to make way for the NFL Draft stages in 2019. (Photo: Larry McCormack / The Tennessean)

Today, a hike in the park or a walk through our neighborhood is a welcome escape from the confines of our homes and screens. It’s an opportunity to say hello to our neighbors; it’s a living classroom for displaced students; and it’s a time to quiet the mind and find a much needed moment of peace.

There is a growing body of research to support the physiological and psychological benefits of spending time in nature, including improved immune, cardiovascular and respiratory functioning, lower blood pressure, reduced stress, and better sleep cycles. Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, is the practice of spending time among trees and nature to gain from their health benefits. Forest bathing originated in Japan in the early 1980s, but there is evidence of nature therapy dating back more than 2,500 years when Cyrus the Great created an urban garden in the capital of Persia to improve human health and promote a sense of calm. 

A forest at risk

Just as deliberate planting was necessary 2,500 years ago, we must be even more intentional about the creation and preservation of our green spaces today. A recent study by the U.S. Forest Service found that the U.S. is losing over 36 million trees per year. Nashville is no exception. In fact, Nashville’s urban forest has never been at greater risk. Rapid growth and Mother Nature are taking their toll.

Andrew Bell (Photo: Submitted)

The emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle, will kill approximately 10% of our trees in the next five years, and we lost tens of thousands of trees in the March 3 tornados and hundreds more in the May 3 storm.

At Nashville Tree Foundation, we are making plans for our 35th-annual planting season with a fresh perspective and renewed conviction for the important role trees play in our community. Through our ReLeaf 2020 campaign, we will replant 10,000 trees in tornado-impacted neighborhoods, but it is critical that we protect the trees we have and continuously replenish our canopy for future generations.

While we look forward to the day when we can plant trees together, we will respect the slower pace of this time. We will bathe in our urban forest, noticing the daily changes and appreciating all that trees do to make our city a healthier, greener, better place to live and work. We will stay safer at home, and for now, we will plant a tree in our own backyard. You can too.

Andrew Bell, PhD, is executive director of Nashville Tree Foundation.

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This article was published by the Tennessean. Click here to view this article on the Tennessean’s website.

Snowflakes in May: A Sunday afternoon with the Catalpas

As communities across the nation begin the stepwise process of opening up, I did a test run this past weekend and ventured farther from home and away from my immediate neighborhood. With no particular destination in mind, I just drove around and through Vanderbilt’s campus and Centennial Park where what appeared to be large snowflakes falling in slow motion caught my eye. Fortunately, I was passing a vacant parking lot that instantly became my destination so I could investigate this odd occurrence.

Giant snowflakes on a warm sunny day in May? Yes, the ones so large that they look like ping pong balls falling in slow motion and the slightest breeze alters their gentle descend to the ground below. I quickly realized that it was time for that annual reunion, one of several that always sneaks up on me but one that I welcome with great affection, the flowering of the catalpa trees! I usually experience this occasion alone as I have found that there is not a lot of love out there for the catalpa.

Despite having been prized by gardeners and grown by many nurseries over the years, catalpa has not been seen on any list of recommended trees to plant that I have come across in my 25-year long career. This has to change! It is true that catalpa, specifically northern catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) is a large tree and is not appropriate for most residential landscapes but where space is not limited this tree deserves to be planted among all the other deciduous shade trees that are considered by most to be far superior. Why must we sacrifice showy flowers when the situation calls for a deciduous shade tree? All of the lists, books, and experts would lead you to believe we must as they bore us with this maple and that maple, and oak, and elm, and well, you get my point but I want some flowers with my shade even if they only last a week to 10 days.

How can you not appreciate and marvel at THIS shade tree with its thick, coarse branches, its large, bold heart-shaped leaves, and its foot-long bean-shaped fruit that never cease to pique the curiosity of kids and adults alike, but the ultimate prize are its flowers. Large white flowers each with the most intriguing purple pollinator guide markings are produced in compacted, dense panicles at the ends of almost every branch. What is not to like about this magnificent tree? To me, it will always be king of the park, cemetery, or campus landscape for it is here where the catalpa tree has the space to spread its branches and strut its stuff!

Once again, I have been reminded why reunions are so special, just as someone, or some tree, has faded from you heart and mind, you instantly fall in love again when you are reunited. This past Sunday, I fell in love again, no, I was reminded of my deep love and affection for the catalpa and knowing that large snowflakes in May would soon be gone, I laid beneath its branches and watched as each one fell slowly to the ground.

Andrew Bell, Ph.D. Executive Director, Nashville Tree Foundation

Queen of May: American Yellowwood

Happy May Day! May Day: a holiday celebrating the arrival of Spring, usually on May 1st; earliest known May celebration appeared during Floralia (the “festival of Flora” or “festival of flowers”) during the Roman Republic (500 BC – 27 BC). Flora- the Roman goddess of flowering plants. Modern-day May Day celebrations occur in Europe and North America, and usually include dancing around a maypole and crowning the May Queen or Queen of May.

The Queen of May- American yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea), currently in full blossom and performing throughout Nashville on this May Day 2020, a year that really has been a festival of flowers thus far.

Lily Tree with Tulips

In honor of the “Lily Tree with Tulips”

Sounds interesting, right? Sounds pretty as well. Where do I get one? Well this tree can be easily acquired and it is widely planted around Nashville and grows naturally throughout Tennessee. In fact, this is our very own tulip tree, the official state tree of Tennessee, Liriodendron tulipifera which translates to “lily tree” “bearing tulips”. This tree goes by several common names, tulip tree, tulip poplar, and yellow poplar. While most people refer to plants by their common names, this can lead to confusion as common names can vary from region to region as well as within a given region. For example, the common name “poplar” is mostly applied to trees in the genus “Populus”; however, two of the most common and well known species of Populus are the eastern cottonwood and the quaking aspen. I know, I just said plants in the genus Populus are commonly called “poplars” but these two are not and our State Tree is called the tulip poplar or yellow poplar but it is not a species of Populus. Confused yet?

Whether you called it tulip tree, tulip poplar, or yellow poplar, let’s honor our state tree and all trees today on Arbor Day. It just so happens that the Lily Tree with Tulips is in full flower today so look up, way up and you will see tulip-shaped flowers with yellow petals that have an orange spot at the base. A single tree can have hundreds of flowers, each pointing towards the sky!

Fun facts: tulip tree is the largest tree, in height, in the Eastern U.S., and it was in 1947 when the Tennessee General Assembly designed this tree as the official state tree; it was chosen “because it grows from one end of the state to the other” and “was extensively used by the pioneers of the state to construct houses, barns, and other necessary farm buildings.” by Andrew Bell, Executive Director

Cedars, Crab-apples, & Cedar-Apple Rust

Yes, these three things are linked together, not just in name but biologically as well. But first things first… the cedar (aka redcedar or eastern redcedar) is not a cedar at all, at least not botanically speaking. True cedars are species in the genus Cedrus while the redcedar is actually a juniper, Juniperus virginiana. Redcedar is very common in Tennessee. Some experts even claim that it is the most abundant tree in the State! Based on my personal observations over the last 25 years, I have no reason to challenge this assertion. Redcedar has long been utilized for its wood to produce pencils, furniture, closest paneling, and fence posts, and for some, it serves as a Christmas tree.

Crabapple is a term used for varieties and species of Malus whose fruit are less than two inches in diameter, while those bearing larger fruit are apples. Fruit size aside, the common practice is to call those grown as a food crop “apples” and those grown as a landscape tree are called flowering crabapples. Regardless of name or purpose, they are all very closely related and have some degree of susceptibility to the same diseases. One of the most common diseases is cedar-apple rust.

Cedar-apple rust is definitely a curious fungus both in appearance and life cycle. After spending a year or more on a juniper, in mid-spring, cedar-apple rust galls begin growing elongated, sticky “horns” that ultimately resemble Medusa’s head. The horns bear spores that are dispersed into the wind and with any luck they will land on a nearby apple and crabapple. Those that do will germinate and colonize on the surface of leaves and fruit.  As late summer arrives, cedar-apple rust spores take to the skies once again, this time in search of a juniper where the cycle starts all over. The galls are slightly smaller than a golf ball and they should be sporulating now.

As you shelter at home, take time to enjoy a walk, and see if you can spot a cedar-apple rust gall. If not hopefully you will see some beautiful crabapple blossoms on your stroll but don’t wait as they will fade fast under the warm spring sun.  Send photos if you see any!