Trees for private property
The Cumberland River Compact, as the operational lead for the Root Nashville campaign, is always looking for tree-planting sites! Apply below if you are interested in coordinating a medium- to large-scale project on a private property: a place of worship, nonprofit, business, HOA common area, apartment complex, or private school.
This program is operated by the Cumberland River Compact, the lead organization in the Root Nashville campaign
How applicants and the Cumberland River Compact will work together
Submit your interest through the application link below, and within one week a team member will reach out to schedule a site visit. These site visits will take place over the spring and summer. During the site visit, we’ll walk the property with you to learn how the space is used and where you might like to plant trees, and then our team will draft a planting plan for your review and approval. Once the planting plan is finalized, our team will place the tree order and work with you to set the delivery time in fall 2022 (October through December) or winter 2023 (January through March).
The awarded trees are large, 1-inch caliper container trees, provided completely free and delivered straight to the site. Sites may select from 7 species options: 3 understory (smaller) and 4 canopy (larger) species. Click here for the Tree Species Catalog of choices. Each site is responsible for coordinating the planting. Our team is happy to provide training and resources about how to organize a planting event, if requested.
Even though the tree delivery and planting don’t take place until fall and winter, now is the time to get projects planned!
What kinds of sites qualify for this application?
- Churches, temples, mosques, synagogues
- School and daycare centers
- Nonprofit site or campuses
- Apartment complexes
- HOA common areas
- Businesses
What is a medium- to large-scale planting project?
For this application, we are looking for sites that are interested in at least 10 trees. It’s okay if you aren’t 100% sure about the number of trees for your site — we’ll work on that together as part of the site visit and planting plan process.
If you know for sure that the site cannot handle 10 or more trees, you can still qualify for receiving trees in the future through our waitlist. Trees often pop up as available throughout the fall and winter when there are cancellations. Reach out to us at hello@rootnashville.org, and we’ll send you the waitlist link.
Additional details
The site leader (example: pastor of a church) or primary contact (example: garden manager of a church) should complete the application. Ideally, the contact should have some decision-making ability about the site, and/or can help coordinate with leadership. The contact should also have the ability to schedule the site visit with relevant parties.
We are looking for projects in the spring and summer (May through September). The earlier, the better! But please do not submit an application on behalf of a site without getting their permission and blessing first.
Sites may select from 7 species options: 3 understory (smaller) and 4 canopy (larger) species. Click here for the Tree Species Catalog of choices.
After submitting the application, you should hear back from us within a week to schedule a site visit. Applications submitted before September 2022 will be considered for the upcoming planting season (October 2022 through March 2023), and applications submitted after September 2022 will be considered for the next season (beginning October 2023).
This opportunity is specifically for PRIVATE property projects. To submit an idea for a PUBLIC property planting, please add it to hubNashville here. Submissions are reviewed in spring and summer, for potentially plantings in the fall and winter.
To talk through the process or ask any questions you might have, we would be happy to schedule a video call. Please reach out to Root Nashville Campaign Manager Meg Morgan at the Cumberland River Compact: meg.morgan@cumberlandrivercompact.org.
Is there a site in your neighborhood that you’d like to share this information with? Direct them to this webpage, or download this one-pager and drop it off at the site. We would LOVE your help getting sites to sign up!
