Tree Board
The Tree Board seeks to encourage proper planting of trees, to offer educational resources related to tree care and to help manage and increase the number of trees on public land
Community Activities
Tree City USA – Rogersville first received accreditation as a Tree City USA in 2005 and has maintained that accreditation, being one of 40 cities in Tennessee to achieve that honor. The Tree City designation underscores our community’s commitment to the preservation and maintenance of its trees. For details on this program, you can visit their website. Click on the button below to view several beautiful locations in Rogersville that are made even more beautiful by trees. Many thanks to Randy Ball for providing these stunning images!
Members
The Board consists of seven members who are residents of the town of Rogersville and are appointed by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. Regular meetings are held the 3rd Monday of every month at 3:30 p.m. at City Hall.
Barbara Combs
Co-chair
Patricia Humbert
Co-chair
Lou Ann Begley
Member
Jill Burdette
Member
Sarah Leroy
Member
June McMakin
Member
Susan Rice
Member
Advisory Committee
Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children. – Source Unknown
Glenn D. Hutchins, Jr.
City Recorder
Richard VanInwegen
Area Forester (retired)
Joel Blackburn
Forest Technician for Hawkins County
Cody Lamb
Area Forester
Tom Simpson
Regional Urban Forester
Arbor Day
Rogersville’s annual Arbor Day Celebration takes place in the spring. Educational materials about growing and caring for trees are provided to fourth graders at the Rogersville City School.. The students participate in a poster contest, learn the proper method for the planting and care of trees, and participate in tree planting on public land. Each student receives a tree to take home and plant. For more information on Arbor Day, visit www.arborday.org. Click on the button below to view images from the 2013 Arbor Day celebration.
Champion Trees of Hawkins County
In an effort to locate, identify and register the largest specimens of native trees in Hawkins County, the Rogersville Tree Board has undertaken a program to seek out, recognize and list those trees. The program is a way to recognize and thank residents who maintain and preserve our largest and oldest trees and to encourage residents to appreciate and care for the many trees that are native to or common in to our county. Anyone may nominate a tree. If the tree you wish to nominate is not on your property, obtain permission from the property owner prior to submitting the nomination. Nomination forms are also available at the Hawkins County Library System, the Rogersville Depot, Rogersville City Hall and at the office of the Rogersville Review. You may also print a copy of the nomination form by clicking the link below:
Three measurements are required to determine a champion tree: (1) Trunk Circumference (measured in inches at about chest height), (2) Vertical Tree Height (measured to the nearest foot), and (3) Average Crown Spread (measured to the nearest foot). Persons wishing to nominate a tree need only submit the circumference of the tree. If the tree’s circumference is large enough, a representative of the Urban Forestry Commission will determine the other two measurements. You may find the Tennessee Forestry Division’s Art of Measuring Trees helpful in this task.
For information about Tennessee’s Champion Tree Program and to find out the sizes of champion trees in the state, visit the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s website
Crockett Spring Park Arboretum
The Tree Board has worked with representatives of the Rogersville Heritage Association and the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council to achieve Arboretum status for Crockett Spring Park, located just four blocks from Rogersville’s Town Square. You can see a full listing of the arboreta in Tennessee on the TUFC website. Click here if you’d like to view a full list of the trees located in the Arboretum.
Education / Information
The Arbor Day Site is an excellent place to find information on identifying, choosing, planting and caring for your trees. To explore their site, go to here (www.arborday.org). For help in locating a certified arborist, go here or here.
If you’d like to learn more planting trees in this area, the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council maintains a list of resources here. The Johnson City Power Board also maintains a recommended tree list for planting near power lines.
Finally, TVA offers and excellent list of trees and plants native to this area. More than 140 plants native to the TVA region are featured on their site here. It includes photographs and details about height, light preference, bloom time, and more.
Rules / Regulations
It is the responsibility of the Tree Board to adopt rules and regulations pertaining to the tree program of Rogersville.
Rogersville Tree Ordinance
Trees growing on public property In the Town of Rogersville are subject to the supervision of the Rogersville Tree Board; cutting or pruning of those trees must be approved in advance by the Tree Board. The Tree Ordinance is available here in PDF format Ordinance No. 4-12-05-1.
Tree Cutting Permits
Ordinance No. 4-12-05-1:
1-116. Town Permit and Bond:
“It shall be unlawful for any person or firm to engage in the business or occupation of pruning, treating, or removing street or park trees within the town, or otherwise performing any task within the town that could reasonably be assumed to affect in any way the public trees therein without first applying for and procuring a town permit. The permit application shall be submitted to the Tree Board and shall contain a description of the intended activity, a plan for the implementation of said activity, and a description of the hypothesized affect said activity will have on public trees.”
The applications for permits for such work can be found here:
Removal Application for Trees and Shrubs on Public Property
Pruning Application for Trees and Shrubs on Public Property