Nashville/Davidson County Metro - 2020

By the year 2050, Nashville/Davidson County Metro will have a well maintained community forest that will provide abundant canopy cover to help reduce stormwater runoff and soil erosion, pollution removal capabilities by giving pollutants and particulates abundant leaf surface area on which to deposit, an attractive venue to improve business traffic and increase property value, aesthetic beauty to the city to soften the linearity of its structures, adequate shade to streets and buildings to help reduce energy costs, adequate cover and nutrients to sustain a diverse wildlife population, a sense of place and belonging by ensuring landmarks for the future, recreational opportunities for its citizens to socialize and/or improve their health, and strategic barriers to reduce noise, glare, and odors at key places around town. The forest will have a diverse species population with no one species comprising more than 10% of the population, a good mix of age and size classes, a planned and structured feel, a forest-like (or non-structured) feel, well-maintained trees to reduce hazards, low-maintenance trees to reduce operating costs, native tree species appropriate for the region, and adequate canopy cover in parking lots to provide shade. The trees that make up the forest will be a good mixture of small, medium, and large trees optimized for the available space, be wind resistant, be ice-resistant, and have aesthetically pleasing autumn colors. The citizens of Nashville/Davidson County Metro will help reduce labor costs by volunteering to inventory, plant and maintain trees, be educated on tree-related issues by attending workshops, and be motivated to maintain adequate tree canopy cover by planting trees on their property. Nashville/Davidson County Metro will have an ISA certified arborist on staff, contract arboricultural services to ISA certified arborists with appropriate experience, provide periodic tree maintenance training to its staff, encourage cooperation and coordination among municipal departments where trees are involved, understand the importance of having healthy trees in the city, and provide necessary funding to ensure the sustainability of the community forest.