City works on upgrading arboretum

McMinnville?s Tree Trails Sunset Hills Arboretum continues to grow and is getting larger. Because of this, the Urban Forestry Department is going for a higher arboretum level.

The arboretum was established more than a year ago along the Civic Center walking trail and currently has 60 different species of trees. After establishing a pamphlet for self-guided tours, the trail is now in line for Level 2 Tennessee Arboretum Certification.

This classification will bring tourism into McMinnville, said Public Works director Bill Brock, who is overseeing the Urban Forestry Department.

?People seek these out and travel to see them,? Brock said. ?We sometimes take trees for granted around here but there are a lot of people who take the time to go to cities and look at arboretums.?

Members of the Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry, Tennessee Urban Forestry Council and the Federation of Garden Clubs will be in McMinnville to tour the arboretum Aug. 23.

They will be looking to make sure the arboretum meets all the Level 2 standards, as well as the requirements for any level arboretum.

Requirements include:

? The site must be open to the public.

? Management practices must be in place to protect trees from lawn mower and weed-eater damage.

? Plant establishment should exemplify modern planting and protection methods.

? Tree labels should be of a type that will not cause significant damage to the tree.

? All labels must have the common and botanical name.

? All tree labels must be at a readable height and maintained in good condition.

Parks and Recreation, Public Works and Urban Forestry have been working diligently to make the conditions just right for the walk-through inspection.

The arboretum was created with help from the McMinnville Tree Advisory Board, Tennessee Urban Forestry Council and the Federation of Garden Clubs.

For more information, call the Department of Urban Forestry at 474-TREE.