Arbor Day 2022 is slated for Friday, March 4, 2022, with some big changes slated for this year. The most notable change is the location. This year’s event will take place at the Cumberland County Community Complex at 1398 Livingston Road. The annual tree giveaway will begin at 9 a.m. with Mayor James Mayberry’s Arbor Day proclamation in the livestock complex. For the first time, vendors will be on hand, inside the Complex’s youth building. Crossville Tree Board members, along with volunteers from Cumberland County Master Gardeners and Wyndham Resort, will be on hand to distribute approximately 3600 seedlings from seven different species, along with tree-planting tips. Seedlings are given out on a first come, first served basis.
Species offered at this year’s giveaway will be:

• Baldcypress
• Buttonbush
• Native Sweet Pecan
• Red Mulberry
• Flowering Dogwood
• Hybrid Chestnut
• Redbud

Also a first, the Crossville Tree Board will have a limited quantity of potted trees available for purchase. “Potted trees and shrubs can have the advantage of being more tolerant of waiting for planting,” said Crossville Tree Board Chairman Janet 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 a proper site to be chosen, as long as they are watered adequately in dry weather.
“Dormant bareroot tree seedlings are very sensitive to drying out, and need to be planted as soon as physically possible. Wet paper towels or wet newspaper should be wrapped around the root system and the entire thing placed a plastic bag and kept cool/cold,” said Dowlen. “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 get too many sitting and waiting on planting time.”
Species available for $10 each will be:

• Indigobush
• Willow Oak
• Elderberry
• Red Mulberry
• Baldcypress
• Common Witchhazel
• Sycamore
• American Beautyberry
• Calycanthus Sweetshrub
• Hybrid American Chestnut potted trees will be available for $15 each

Again, quantities of each of these species is very limited and offered at a first come, first served basis. Cash or check made out to the City of Crossville are the only forms of payment that can be taken.
The Crossville Tree Board encourages everyone to follow COVID safety guidelines for the giveaway. Trees are an excellent means of adding beauty to a home’s landscape, with colorful Spring blossoms and Fall leaves, as well as providing shade, which can lower utility bills, and provide food and shelter for wildlife. Mark your calendars, set your alarm clocks, and come help celebrate Arbor Day in Crossville and the state of Tennessee!