By PATRICK HALL
The Wilson Post

Tennessee Environmental County and Executive Director Dr. John McFadden, executive director, have a goal of planning 5,000 trees in Lebanon as well as other Middle Tennessee cities on Saturday, Feb. 4, to improve the health and appearance of the community.

The effort is part of the council’s Tennessee Tree Project, which projects to plant and care for 1 million native trees across the state.

According to the council, trees not only look great in a community, they also bring many health and environmental benefits along with them. McFadden said planting 30 trees each year helps offset greenhouse gasses from your car and home.

McFadden indicated studies have also shown communities with more trees have less crime and said the U.S. Forest Service found that more than 2 million acres of Tennessee’s native forests were cut and more than 500,000 acres converted for other uses.

The plan is to get the community involved and get enough support to plant 5,000 trees in Lebanon, Murfreesboro, Spring Hill and Gallatin. In Lebanon, the council is partnering with the City of Lebanon Stormwater Department and the Beautification Commission to plant trees along the Cedar City Trail.

“It’s great to have a partner who has done this type of tree planting a number of times like the Tennessee Environmental Council,” said Lebanon Stormwater Director James Vaden.

The trail travels along the banks of Sinking Creek and the council is aiming to plant the trees in “riparian” areas near streams and waterways to serve a dual purpose of benefiting the council’s Watershed Support Center.

“Trees are a critical part of protecting and restoring water quality in our city, after all, we are named after the cedar tree,” Vaden said.

Vaden pointed out trees provide many benefits for the stormwater volumes and runoff in Lebanon. He said they are a cost-effective way to comply with stormwater regulations and added that trees filter and reduce stormwater volumes as well as help restore local forests.

Volunteers will meet in Lebanon at the Jimmy Floyd Family Center for registration at 8:30 a.m., and tree planting will begin at 9 and continue until 2 p.m. You may register beforehand by contacting Vaden at 533-8219 for more information.

Staff Writer Patrick Hall may be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .