This website has been developed to help consolidate the scattered efforts of tree advocates in Knoxville, Tennessee who have been working tirelessly for the past decade in their attempts to increase the public awareness of the following issues:

• The benefits of maintaining and improving Knoxville's urban forest 
  
  
• Plans and activities occurring downtown and elsewhere within the city limits that affect trees, such as the renovation of Krutch Park
  
  
• The need for a workable Knoxville Tree Ordinance in conjunction with a management strategy for the improvement and maintenance of the tree canopy in our community, similar to nearby cities such as Chattanooga and Nashville
  
  
• The existence of groups already established to champion our city's trees, such as the Knoxville Tree Board
  

More and more progressive communities throughout the United States are beginning to recognize the very tangible benefits that trees provide in the urban environment. Healthy trees reduce air and noise pollution, provide energy-saving shade and cooling, furnish habitat for wildlife, enhance aesthetics and property values, and are an important contributor to community image, pride, and quality of life. 

		Hardly a day goes by in Knoxville without another healthy, decades-old street tree being sawed down because it is "in the way."

Knoxville has a huge advantage over most other U.S. metropolitan areas for the cultivation of trees, as a result of  its temperate climate, long growing season, rainy weather and varied topography - all which are positive attributes for the rapid growth of diverse species of trees.  Unfortunately, the relentless pursuit of economic growth, the lack of enforcement of tree-planting codes and a general apathy towards ancient trees have laid waste to many of our once magnificent groves of urban trees, even those that were once considered out of reach of development on steep hills and ridgetops.  The cultural insensitivity to the plight of trees in Knoxville may actually be a symptom of our area's ideal growing conditions, brought on by the need for constant attention to control the relentless onset of unruly overgrowth in our historical quest of manicured city settings.   However, the time has arrived when even our our ideal tree-growing environment may not be enough to offset Knoxville's loss of old trees in the pathway of development.