Come Join us! Get outside and enjoy our loop trail in the heart of Nashville's 12 South and Belmont Hillsboro Neighborhoods. Three miles of off road primitive trail offer you access to open space!

SoundForest.org is working with TDOT (Tennessee Department of Transporation) and Metro to build and maintain our Canopy Park Loop Trail. This 3 mile UrbanActive multi-use primitive trail is located in the heart of Belmont-Hillsoboro and 12 Ave South Neighborhoods. A great spot to workout, enjoy nature, and then relax in the 12 South Business District or Franklin Road's Melrose area. Home to great spots such as Burger Up, Frothy Monkey, Edley's, 12 South Taproom, and much more! 

Canopy Park Loop: 3 Mile off road primitive Trail. We have combined a portion of Sevier Park and a portion of TDOT's Land to create a primitive trail for off road trail running, hiking, and meadow biking ( a relaxed form of mountain biking).

Pleasant Meadows Extension: 3 Mile extension loop. Pure goodness. We are working to add 3 more miles to make a 6 mile loop. This will run parallel to the Greenway the city is building along Battlefield. 

This trail is currently available for use but we have much work to do! We are raising money to work on a number of much needed projects! 

• plant trees - We would like to add multiple tree groves. Each grove will be a different native species.
• build bridges - There are 5 locations we could use bridges over water crossings
• move fences - We'd like to work to move a fence so we have access to a major waterway 
• cut down invasive plant species - Much work needs to be done to remove Privet and Japanesse Honey Suckle
• define trails - We need to continually cut back over grown areas
• slope cuts for trail - some sections with cross grades need to be cut to level for easier passage
• post way point signage - We wish to place wooden markings along the trial to mark distance
• work with the city to install proper street crossings   
• trail crossing - we would like to make wooden trail crossing signs so traffic will be aware of the areas where the trail intersects with roads
• build kiosk - we would like to build a kiosk with a large map at the trail heads
• fruit trees - we would like to plant a fruit tree orchard in one section to provide pear, plum, peach and apple

Help us make these improvements! Join SoundForest.org and be a part of the future of a healthier Nashville.  
email: thomas@soundforest.org if you wish to find out more, contribute, or volunteer to maintain this open space!

 By Dan Platter

Wanna Help the Planet? Help Plant it! 
SOUNDFOREST.ORG has a pointed mission to plant the largest, most appealing and most valuable tree in every location possible.  This often means growing hard-to-find native trees not commonly sold in nurseries.   Big Box hardware stores (eg. Home Depot - Lowes) often times supply canopy trees with one purpose – to be grown quickly, cheaply and make more money. We believe more thought should go into planting trees!  

All of the trees here at Oak Grove either sprouted as volunteers, were purchased in local nurseries, or were collected in nearby woods as acorns.  The exception being the “specimens” which were acquired as acorns in California, Oregon, Arkansas, and Tennessee.  They were chosen for wildlife value, drought tolerance, fall color, disease resistance, ability to attain great age, and for their grace.  We are also planting some trees mirrored in the community as large old trees left over from farming days.    

In the past people planted trees that offered the highest value for people yet to live in the future.   A few of these can be seen on Courtney Avenue as you drive from here toward McGlaughlin…. you will notice three huge oaks on the left side of the road.    They are burr oaks in front of the apartments and then a mighty white oak on the next corner.   Rest assured we are planting some of these same tree species along with our magnificent, native, Oregon oaks! 

Mexico and the Southeastern United States  have the highest oak diversity on the Planet. California and Oregon follow close and share in this diversity, as we have 35 species (not bad for places known for their conifers).  

We believe planting trees here on this school is of the highest priority as it is the least likely place to get developed or subdivided in the future, and hence these trees may one day become OLD.   One could make a whole day of it walking the grounds of Cambridge or Princeton (or many higher education universities) just for their ancient arboretums.  Here in Oak Grove we are focusing on oaks.  Oaks and their common companions live to be very old, many hundreds of years, in fact.  Oaks have been venerated for eons…. we have a great name for ourselves here in Oak Grove.

Soundforest.org hopes you enjoy your Earth-day.  

Remember, Wanna Help the Planet? Help Plant it!

PLANT TREES!!!

Tree Count: 18,757 

Portland OR Director Dan Platter leads riparian restoration planting in Eastern WA on Lord's Creek. Ponderosa Pine, Cottonwood and Black willow were planted to create wildlife habitat, shade the water, and slow erosion. Large barriers were installed to prevent large curious animals from snacking on the tender young sprouts!

Tree Count: 18,180
104 trees planted at 30 homes in North Nashville with the help of TSU volunteers, Hands On Nashville, and Go Green North Nashville! Great Day! 

Tree Count: 18,064

We partnered with Hands On Nashville Volunteers and planted 40 trees at 11 homes in North Nashville and Chestnut Hill as part of our SmartYards Program. We planted redbuds to shade AC Units. We Planted Pear, Plum, and Peach trees for home orchards. 

We now have over 340 fruit trees planted in the Nashville area. In the years to come we will have volunteer groups travel to many of these locations to fertilize, mulch, and prune these trees. In the fall of each year we will collect the harvest! 

More photos on facebook

Want to ride your bicycle and/or plant trees? 
OK. We can set this up. 

Ride Info: Saturday March 9th at Noon you can meet at Sevier Park. Here is a map of the route - MAP (Corner of Kirkwood and Granny White near Burger Up). Ride your bike to Glen Leven Estate on Franklin Pike. Plant Some Trees. Hop on your wheels and then head to M.L.Rose to grab a tasty beverage from Jackalope Brewing and BountyBev.   If you prefer to drive you are welcome to join us at Glen Leven Estate at 12:30pm!  

Just Planting No Bikes For Me!  Saturday March 9th at 12:30 meet at Glen Leven. Location Map Plant Some Trees and then head to M.L.Rose to grab a tasty beverage from Jackalope Brewing and BountyBev. 

Forcast: 67 degrees and happy.  

What a great way to enjoy the day!   Sign up now!  
Questions?  Call us at 615.915.0307 or email info@soundforest.org

More about this project...
SoundForest.org To Improve Watershed On Historic Glen Leven Estate

Nonprofit teaming with the TN Department of Forestry to plant trees along Mill Creek watershed

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (March 6, 2013) – SoundForest.org will be planting trees on Saturday, March 9th, from 12:30p.m. to 3:00 p.m. along the Mill Creek Watershed which runs through the Glen Leven Estate, located on Franklin Road south of Woodmont Boulevard. Managed by the Land Trust of TN, the estate is the largest piece of Nashville’s Civil War battlefield still intact. To date, SoundForest volunteers have planted more than 17,500 trees in thirteen states and seven countries.

“On January 21, SoundForest InfanTREE volunteers planted 700 trees on the Glen Leven estate,” said SoundForest founder Thomas Solinsky. “The March project will focus on planting trees along the Mill Creek waterway to establish a riparian buffer zone to help improve water quality by slowing erosion and decreasing sediment in the creek. The project will also decreasing non-point source pollutants and providing shade to the waterways. The goal of these plantings is to help improve the watershed quality allowing for improved wildlife habitat for many endangered wildlife species including the Nashville Crayfish.”

A volunteer party will follow the planting at M.L. Rose Craft Beer & Burgers located at 2535 Franklin Pike, sponsored by Nashville’s Jackalope Brewing Company and BountyBev, Tennessee’s American craft beer-only distributor.

Based in Nashville, Tennessee, SoundForest.org is a nonprofit eco-charity with the purpose to better the environment by encouraging sustainable lifestyle choices. Primary programs focus on planting native tree species and increasing awareness about the benefits of riding bicycles. Working with individuals, volunteer groups, businesses, communities, schools, and municipalities, SoundForest aims to encourage positive ways to treat the planet including the enhancement of natural and urban forests thereby improving water and air quality. Visit www.soundforest.org for more information on Soundforest’s mission and projects.

Tree Count: 17,495 
Big thanks to our InfanTREE today! Partnering up with Hands On Nashville and Concept Technology, Inc. we planted 37 trees at 10 North Nashville homes! Oak and Redbud were planted to shade AC Units from summer sun and fruit trees were planted to produce some home grown food! Smart! 

Shout out to Samantha, Ian, Jeremy, and Mike for their leadership!!!

Tree Count: 17,152

Today we planted 49 trees in the Inglewood and Pennington Bend Neighborhoods! SmartYards are growing. We had a great time with the Hands On Nashville Volunteers! Awesomeness. 

We planted 18 Redbud, 9 Oak, 9 Maple, 2 Bartlett Pear, 7 Blue Damson Plum, 1 Riverbirch, and 2 apple. 
 
These energy saving trees will help shade the west side of homes from the hot setting sun and shade AC units from direct sunlight allowing them to operate more efficiently and reduce energy usage. We also planted a number of fruit trees to allow home owners to harvest plums, apples, and pears in the years to come!

Thanks to all of the volunteers for all of your hard work. Thanks to Samantha and Hands on Nashville. and Thanks to our team leaders Ian and Mike!

In Partnership with the Belmont Hillsboro Neighborhood, SoundForest.org is planting traffic calming trees at the intersection of 21st and Magnolia. When complete, we will add 30 more trees to the Magnolia streetscape. This corridor connects Belmont University and the Belmont Hillsboro Neighborhood to Hillsboro Village by foot and bicycle. 

Trees planted along roadways have many benefits for both pedestrians and automobiles. Beyond providing shade for sidewalks and lowering the temperature on hot summer days these trees have a calming effect for traffic. Studies show that cars drive slower when street trees are planted in rows along the street.  Perceived drive time is shortened when streets are lined with trees. Another benefit of tree lined streets is drivers' heart rates are reduced when commuting. 

Trees alert drivers to the fact they are in a neighborhood and that there may be pedestrians present. Great Streets, by the internationally known urban planner Alan B. Jacobs notes that wide streets feel primarily like a transportation corridor, not a place where people live. Jacobs also cites research showing that for many people trees are the most important single characteristic of a "good street"