1,500 Trees Donated For Tornado Relief

When a tornado struck Nashville in March, James Hines, general manager of Hale & Hines Nursery in McMinnville, wondered how he could help. He remembered the challenge of having his own home hit by a tornado in April 1998, and wanted to make a difference for Nashvillians whose homes and property were damaged. While some were able to give food or clothing, the Hines family decided they could donate trees from their nursery business.

Hines followed up on an article he had recently read by Jim Gregory, co-founder of the Nashville Tree Conservation Corps, to let him know about the idea, and Jim responded enthusiastically. As a result, Hale & Hines Nursery donated over 1,500 trees to replace those lost by homeowners and city parks in the spring storms. NTCC planted 1,000 of the trees through its Operation Overstory program, while Root Nashville planted 500 trees. This generous gift will have a lasting impact on Nashville’s tree canopy.

An Environmentally-Friendly Family Company

Hale & Hines has been a family-owned company for 42 years, and the management team includes James’ father and siblings. James recognized that he is blessed to be working in this situation, and the Hines family wanted to give back to the community as much as they could. Their direct donation allowed the project to move quickly; the trees were planted within two weeks after arriving in Nashville in the late spring and early summer. This quick action was important because the summer heat would put more strain on watering the newly planted trees, and these young plants needed to grow roots to get established.

Hale & Hines specializes in container-grown trees, which offer advantages in transport and planting. Since the plants grow in pots, they don’t need to be dug out of the ground, a process that damages the tree’s roots and removes the soil from the area where it was planted. The nursery’s topsoil is maintained with this no-till system since no digging is required. Trees grown in the ground can lose 40% to 60% of their roots when they are dug out, balled and burlapped. In contrast, container-grown trees’ roots remain undamaged in the pot and can grow more quickly once planted. 

Most of Hale & Hines’ customers are large landscapers and retail nurseries within a 1,000-mile radius of their location, which is about 75 miles southeast of Nashville. The nursery also works with many environmental nonprofit groups across the country, including the Million Trees project in New York, the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society, Trees Atlanta and Keep Indy Beautiful, among others. 

A third-generation manager of Hale & Hines, James is aware of what makes the company stand out today. He believes that “a good tree is a good tree; quality plants need to be grown for wherever they will be shipped.” The transport-ready process of container-grown trees is an important differentiator, since it allows the nursery to have young trees available year-round that can be easily moved and efficiently planted.

Rebuilding Our Canopy

The trees planted in Nashville include the Pin Oak, Autumn Blaze and Red Maples, Tulip Poplar, American Elm and other varieties. They were planted throughout the city, including Metro parks. Since many parks don’t have irrigation systems, NTCC used Tree Diapers, an innovative product that absorbs rainwater and expels it slowly over time for the newly planted trees. 

The gift of these trees will provide generations of Nashvillians with the many benefits that an urban forest provides: better air quality, shade in the summer, foliage to enjoy in the spring and fall, and inviting places to gather year-round. Nashville’s canopy is immeasurably fuller from this donation.

Hale & Hines also supplies trees for NTCC’s annual tree sale, details of which can be found here.