Knoxville will plant a tree for your tomorrow when it celebrates Arbor Day next week!
The city is celebrating Arbor Day on Monday, November 16 with a special tree planting at Skyline Park. Mayor Indya Kincannon and members of the City Council will join the Tree Board in planting a special red maple tree with urban forester Kasey Krouse and crew.
This year, the city planted roughly 785 trees around the area. Knoxville typically plants at least 600 tree each year in parks, schools and throughout neighborhoods.
There are about 30,000 public trees across the city.
“It is vital to the success and overall effectiveness of the Knoxville Tree Board that we educate the public on good tree care,” said Dale Madden, Chair of the Tree Board. “During the Arbor Day event, we will demonstrate the proper planting and mulching of trees.”
The city demonstration and planting will be recorded and replayed on Community Television of Knoxville, as well as uploaded to the YouTube and Facebook page of Trees Knoxville, a local nonprofit.
Kincannon will also accept the city's 29th annual Tree City USA award, and KUB President Gabriel Bolas will accept the utility's 19th annual Tree Line USA award.
The city has held an Arbor Day event for close to 30 years. The state celebrates the holiday on the first Friday in March, while Knoxville celebrates in the fall because it's the ideal time for planting trees.
“Tree plantings are an important part of our City’s sustainability efforts, as we partner with homeowners and business owners to lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our carbon footprint,” Krouse said. “The bottom line is: Research has repeatedly shown that the most effective, easiest and cheapest way that communities can resist climate change is to plant trees.”