If Trees Could Sing - Resources
Get to the root of tree knowledge. Here's where to start!
There is a wealth of information on the web about trees ranging from scientific research to simple ways to identify trees. Here are links to some of the best information available about trees.
Where You Can Find Our Music Artist Tree Signs
- Oaklawn Garden & Arboretum, Germantown (download the PDF map)
- Coolidge Park, Chattanooga (download the PDF map)
- Aquarium Plaza, Chattanooga (download the PDF map)
- Greenway Farm Park, Chattanooga (download the PDF map)
- Centennial Park, Nashville (download the PDF map)
- Owl's Hill Nature Sanctuary (download the PDF map)
- Morningside Park, Knoxville (download the PDF map)
- Victor Ashe Park, Knoxville (download the PDF map)
- Montgomery Bell State Park - Park Office trail, Inn & Conference Center, Ball Park area (download the PDF maps)
- Long Hunter State Park (download the PDF map)
- Radnor Lake State Park & Natural Area (download PDF map)
- Nashville Zoo (download the PDF map)
What Tree Is That?
Web sites and smartphone apps that help you identify a tree quickly and easily:
- The Arbor Day Foundation - step by step questions to identify trees
- VTree ID for smartphones (Virginia Tech University)
- LeafSnap for iPhone (Columbia University, University of Maryland, Smithsonian Institution)
- Pocket Guide to Identifying Tennessee Trees - UT Extension Service - PDF prints to pocket size
A Very Good Tree Book
- A Natural History of North American Trees by Donald Culross Peattie (Houghton Mifflin, 2007).
How Urban Trees Can Save Lives
- Planting Healthy Air, a 2016 study from The Nature Conservancy & C40 Cities, details how planting additional trees in cities could make a big difference in our health.
Resources for Teachers
- Looking for educational lesson plans and activities on trees and forests for students? The Nature Conservancy’s Nature Works Everywhere site has an excellent lesson plan focused on Urban Trees.
Planting Your Own Tree
- The Arbor Day Foundation has videos and step-by-step instructions on planting your tree.
- Here’s a quick tree planting guide from the Nashville Tree Foundation.
Planting Many Trees!
- The Tennessee Division of Forestry's seedling nursery, located in Delano, Tennessee, produces forest seedlings that are available for sale to landowners. These seedlings are adapted to growing conditions found in Tennessee and are used primarily for reforestation and forest conservation projects.
- The Nature Conservancy is restoring trees across the United States. The Plant a Billion Trees program is rejuvenating iconic forests in key locations. The Nature Conservancy ensures each donated dollar is used efficiently to create healthy forest habitat via two methods: planting tree seedlings in areas that have been highly degraded, and assisting the natural regeneration of the forest by removing barriers to the forest’s ability to heal itself.
Caring for Your Tree
- The International Society of Arboriculture has helpful fact sheets on benefits of trees and guidance for management throughout the life of a tree — from tree selection, to planting, to mature tree care.
Benefits of Trees — What can trees do for you? A lot!
- A United States Forest Service fact sheet provides a wealth of information about how and why we all should conserve trees.
- Tree Benefits - See this handy and detailed list from the Alliance for Community Trees. It includes footnoted citations for those who want to check facts.
- Stormwater Absorption Poster - Here’s an interactive poster from the Arbor Day Foundation that shows the power of trees in collecting stormwater.
Stop Tree Pests!
Many of America’s trees are being destroyed by non-native insects and diseases. These foreign invaders are removing entire species of trees from our forests and neighborhoods, threatening our air, water, economies and quality of life.
Early detection is critical to stopping pest outbreaks before they become more complicated and expensive to control. Most outbreaks of invasive pests begin in cities, which mean people living in cities have an important role in protecting the health of the nation’s trees and forests.
To learn more about how you can help identify and fight tree pests, visit these sites:
- A site for kids about tree & plant pests and what we can do to help: Plant Heroes
- Healthy Trees Healthy Tennessee - a wealth of information on tree pests from The Nature Conservancy
- Protect Tennessee Forests - the latest tree pest information from the Tennessee Division of Forestry
- Hemlocks and How to Save Them - stopping the hemlock woolly adelgid - from The Nature Conservancy
- Don't Move Firewood - when you camp, buy it where you burn it!