Arbor Day in Tennessee

- Nashville to Host State Arbor Day Celebration -

NASHVILLE – Gov. Bill Haslam has proclaimed March 2 as Arbor Day in Tennessee to recognize the importance of trees to our state. This year’s state celebration will be held in Nashville, which has been designated a Tree City USA community.

“Arbor Day is important for reminding us of the value of trees not only in our rural areas but in our urban areas as well,” Agriculture Commissioner Julius Johnson said. “TDA is committed to improving and protecting our forest resources, which contribute a number of environmental and economic benefits.”

Nashville earned the honor of hosting this year’s state Arbor Day celebration by being recognized as the state’s Tree Board of the Year in 2011. The Arbor Day celebration will take place March 2 at 11 a.m. CST in Centennial Park. Mayor Karl Dean and other state and local officials will plant trees in honor of current and late community leaders.

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Departments of Health and Agriculture announce that rabies has been diagnosed in two horses. One horse, submitted for testing in January 2012, died in rural Rutherford County, and the other was submitted this month from Marshall County. Both horses had a type of rabies virus found in skunks in Tennessee, although it is not known how they were infected.

Tennessee Wildfire

- New Study: Average TN Annual Timber Value Loss Between $2.5 and $10.4 million –

NASHVILLE – A recent study conducted by forestry researchers shows that wildfire cuts the value of timber nearly in half in the Appalachian region of Kentucky and Tennessee. The study was conducted by the University of Kentucky Department of Forestry in cooperation with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry and the University of Tennessee.

According to the report, 47 percent of timber values are lost when a forest is burned by wildfire compared to what it would be if not burned at all.

“The financial losses from wildfire extend well beyond damage to individual trees,” said Dr. Jeff Stringer, Professor, Hardwood Silviculture and Forest Operations, University of Kentucky who led the study. “We found that repeated burning, a common occurrence in our region, changes the species and structure of our forests resulting in significant long-term losses.”

Tennessee Grown Dogwood

NASHVILLE - Tennessee’s annual Arbor Day, always the first Friday in March, will be celebrated on March 2, with ceremonies commemorating the day set for Centennial Park in Nashville at 11 a.m.

National Arbor Day, founded in 1872, is celebrated each year on the last Friday in April, but a number of states mark the day at the times of the year best suited for planting in their climate zones.

Kyle Holmberg, horticulture marketing specialist at the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, says there’s more than just the time of year to consider, however, when adding trees to a landscape.

Most people understand that adding trees to a landscape adds ‘curb appeal’ and is a smart investment in the property,” says Holmberg. “Just as you carefully invest your money wisely, or keep up your home so it retains or increases its value, be careful choosing the right trees. Then, help them retain or increase their value.”

NASHVILLE – The State Soil Conservation Committee will meet Feb. 26 at 5 p.m. CST at the DoubleTree Hotel, located at 1770 Highway 45 Bypass in Jackson, Tenn. The agenda includes a review of the committee’s statutory authority, reports from other agricultural agencies, a review of legislative issues pertaining to landowners and an update on local soil conservation district elections and appointments.

NASHVILLE – First Lady Crissy Haslam will meet with local nurserymen to discuss Tennessee’s horticultural industry and landscape renovation plans for the Tennessee Residence. Agriculture Commissioner Julius Johnson will join the First Lady for the discussion, followed by a brief tour of local nurseries.

NASHVILLE – Plans for the Tennessee Forestry Commission, originally scheduled to meet Feb. 8 at Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville, have changed. The commission will still meet on Feb. 8 but will convene instead at Legislative Plaza, located at 601 6th Avenue North in Nashville.

The commission will make its annual presentation on Tennessee’s forest resource and the Division of Forestry to the Senate Energy and Environment Committee at 8:30 a.m. and to the House Conservation and Environment Committee at 12:30 p.m.