GREENEVILLE – Tusculum University faculty and students connected with the community and supported a statewide initiative to promote the value of trees in an event held on campus this weekend.
Tusculum student Zothile Mbhamali helps sort tree orders.
Community member Jim Foster, left, speaks with Jordan Baker, assistant professor of biology at Tusculum.
For the fourth year, Tusculum served as a distribution location for Tennessee Tree Day, enabling people to stop by at their leisure to collect the seedlings they had ordered. About 90 people selected more than 800 seedlings to purchase and pick up at the Doak House Museum.
“This is a wonderful avenue for community members to beautify their property or perhaps provide food for their meals,” said Dr. Peter Noll, professor of public history and museum studies, who oversees the distribution. “Tusculum places great importance on civic engagement and welcomes this opportunity to collaborate with the community and other stakeholders to enhance the quality of life in our region.”
The Tennessee Environmental Council spearheads the statewide event, which enables community members to purchase seedlings for about $5 apiece. Tusculum backs the effort by organizing the seedlings when they are delivered to match people’s orders. Students and faculty members greeted community members Friday and Saturday and provided them with the seedlings they ordered.
Tree species this year included elderberry, eastern red cedar, white oak, flowering dogwood, tulip poplar, pecan, red mulberry, witch-hazel, eastern redbud and wild plum.
The students who participated this year were enrolled in the Service Learning in Northeast Tennessee class of Dr. Shelby Ward, assistant professor of political science.
Junior Zothile Mbhamali, a criminal justice major, served in the sorting and distribution activities and said she enjoyed growing her communication skills by having the opportunity to interact with people she did not know. She also liked learning about trees.
“It is fascinating that people plant and grow trees by themselves,” Mbhamali said. “It’s interesting and probably something I would like to do in a few years. I like the red cedars because they are pretty.”
Left to right, students Zoey Seay, Savannah Webb, Alexis Roessler and Zothile Mbhamali process an order.
Nick Loewen, shows what he ordered.
Mike Helbing, left, and Wendy Ritchey pick up their order.
Community members who came to the Doak House had many reasons for participating in the event.
Wendy Ritchey, a Limestone resident, said she and her husband have ordered seedlings through this annual event for several years. The couple have almost 6 acres on their property that need trees, she said.
“We’re starting a food forest, so we’re going to put the fruit trees out there,” she said. “The food forest is a combination of annuals and perennials and different layers of canopy trees and lower trees, vines and ground covers that help to stage them.”
This is the second year Nick Loewen, another Limestone resident, has obtained seedlings through Tennessee Tree Day. He has about 8 acres, and much of it does not have trees. His wife ordered the seedlings after exploring them on Pinterest and based the choices on the way the trees look when they are young and old and the amount of color. One area they want to adorn is their driveway, but they want to ensure the trees do not interfere with the power lines. The couple’s interest in the trees is mostly decorative.
Noah Broyles is all smiles with his order.
Jordan Baker, left, assistant professor of biology, and Dr. Peter Noll, professor of public history and museum studies, work on an order.
Larry Horn holds his seedlings.
Larry Horn, who lives in Greeneville and is the town’s landscaper, was also a customer at the Doak House. He also participated in Tennessee Tree Day about five years ago and has seen the success, noting that a crabapple and a red dogwood he acquired the last time have grown tremendously since he planted them.
“We need trees, and the ones we obtained previously were high-quality,” Horn said. “We have a pretty good-sized backyard, but it needs trees. We are grateful for the system that has been established for this event. It’s well done, and we appreciate the time, effort and energy associated with it.”
To learn more about Tennessee Tree Day, please visit https://www.tectn.org/tennesseetreeday.html. Additional information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.