Root Nashville
When Root Nashville launched in October of 2018, they set the big, bold goal of planting 500,000 new trees in Nashville by 2050. Fast forward 18 months and 10,027 trees later, and the team is well on their way to achieving that goal.
Root Nashville is a public-private partnership, led by nonprofit partner the Cumberland River Compact and Metro Nashville. Under the leadership of Mayor John Cooper, Metro believes in the importance of trees and fully backs the Root Nashville campaign.
“Under an Executive Order signed by my administration, Metro defines urban trees as essential public infrastructure – just like our power lines, our water, and sewer pipes, and our roads,” said Mayor John Cooper. “In one year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the same amount of carbon a car would emit while driving 26,000 miles. This is important as Nashville aims to reduce our carbon pollution 70 percent by 2050. Root Nashville’s planting goal is based on what we must do to both grow and preserve a healthy canopy across the county."
The Root Nashville campaign is a coordinated, citywide effort and all 1"-caliper trees planted in Davidson County will count towards the overall goal, regardless of who plants them. In the upcoming months, Root Nashville will launch a program to train community members to become planting captains who will learn how to organize a planting in their neighborhood.
For more information and to learn how to get involved visit rootnashville.org.