APSU and Cumberland River Compact to plant over 100 native trees on campus

Trees will be planted on the Emerald Hill slope.

Clarksville, TN – This spring, Austin Peay State University is partnering with the Cumberland River Compact to plant more than 100 native trees on campus. The project is the result of a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) grant, which was recently awarded to the Compact to improve water quality in TVA watershed areas.

“Austin Peay’s campus sits directly adjacent to the confluence of the Cumberland and Red rivers and nearly all of the surface storm run-off makes its way into these two bodies of water,” Wes Powell, APSU director of landscape and ground, said. “All of these trees will be planted either near impervious surfaces like parking lots and roads, or near steep slopes in order to maximize the benefits of rain interception, erosion control and pollutant filtering.”

The Cumberland River Compact is the perfect partner for this project because the nonprofit is dedicated to protecting and preserving the Cumberland River and its tributaries. Austin Peay and the Compact will use the TVA grant to hire contractors for the installation of the trees, but Powell said they’re reserving 26 trees for campus and community volunteers to plant.

“This will not only give the community a sense of ownership in improving water quality in Clarksville, but also raise awareness of the need for everyone to strategically plant more trees for the environment,” Powell said.

The planting will take place from 1-4 p.m. on Friday, March 10, as part of Austin Peay’s official Arbor Day celebration. The volunteers will focus on adding trees to the slope between North Second Street and the Pace Alumni Center at Emerald Hill. Anyone interested in volunteering to plant the trees should sign up at this .

Austin Peay is an official Tree Campus USA, as designated by the Arbor Day Foundation, and an arboretum with hundreds of species of trees spread across its grounds.

For information, contact Powell at powellw@apsu.edu.

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