Crossville Arbor Day 2024 will be March 16 — a Saturday. The Crossville Tree Board made the change from the traditional Friday in hopes that it will enable more people to attend.
This marks the 24th year for the tree giveaway celebration and Crossville’s designation as a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation.
The annual tree giveaway starts at 9 a.m. at Cumberland County Community Complex at 1398 Livingston Rd., with Mayor Pro Tem Rob Harrison reading the Arbor Day proclamation.
Crossville Tree Board members, along with volunteers from Wyndham Resort, will be on hand to distribute approximately 3,250 seedlings from eight different species of trees, along with tree planting tips.
“Dormant bareroot tree seedlings are very sensitive to drying out and need to be planted as soon as physically possible,” recommended Janet Dowlen, Crossville Tree Board chairman. “Wet paper towels or wet newspaper should be
wrapped around the root system and the entire thing placed in a plastic bag and kept cold/cool.”
She added, “An alternative to this would be a bucket of water. But this too is temporary. In most cases, death of bareroot plants is usually caused by their drying out before planting. The day of receipt is the best time to plant bareroot plants. So prior thought about locations to plant these
would be helpful before you obtain seedlings.”
Seedlings to be given away on a first-come, first-serve basis include bald cypress, American persimmon, staghorn sumac, yellow poplar, native sweet pecan, shortleaf pine, pin oak, bur oak and swamp chestnut oak.
A limited quantity of potted trees will be available for purchase for $15 each on a first-come, first-served basis. Cash or checks made payable to the city of Crossville will be accepted forms of payment. “Potted trees and shrubs can have the advantage of being more tolerant of waiting for planting,” said Dowlen. “The convenience of letting it sit a day or two is not a good idea for bareroot seedlings, but is acceptable for potted stock. The root system in a pot is established and will not be injured by sitting to wait for weather to clear, or proper site to be chosen as long as they are watered adequately in dry weather.”
Potted trees available for purchase include sugar maple, American persimmo, common witchhazel, American beautyberry, native sweet pecan, southern catalpa, bald cypress, American hazelnut, American fringetree, Kentucky coffeetree, hybrid American chestnut, willow oak, shumard oak, shingle oak, swamp white oak and cherrybark oak.
Trees add beauty to a home’s landscape and provide shade, which can lower utility bills. Trees also provide food and shelter for wildlife.