A WATERSHED IN TROUBLE – TREES AS PART OF THE SOLUTION

Lower Browns Creek is one of Nashville’s most impaired streams. Heavy rainfall in this urbanized watershed doesn’t soak into the ground; instead, it rushes across rooftops, streets, and parking lots, picking up pollutants and overwhelming aging drainage infrastructure before ending up in the creek. The majority of streams that feed into Browns Creek are listed as impaired due to significant levels of pathogens, nitrogen, phosphorus, oil, grease, and sediment — all carried by stormwater from surrounding impervious (paved or otherwise non-porous) surfaces. Despite having the potential to be one of Nashville’s great neighborhood streams, Browns Creek is currently listed as impaired due to excessive pollutants.

In the past three years, through Root Nashville, the Cumberland River Compact  has planted 188 trees in and around the Lower Browns Creek area, helping to bring shade, beauty, and cleaner water to a part of the city that needs it most. These plantings aren’t random — they’re part of a bigger vision laid out in the community-led plan for the Browns Creek watershed (authored by the Compact in 2018), which calls for more green space to reduce flooding, cool the neighborhood, and protect local waterways from pollution. In a place where pavement dominates and temperatures run high, every new tree makes a real difference.

But planting here isn’t easy. In fact, the Browns Creek watershed has the highest percentage of impervious surfaces in Nashville, leaving very little room for trees to grow. That’s why the Cumberland River Compact also leads a depave initiative, which removes unused pavement to make space for planting. In 2018, Compact staff and volunteers depaved over 18,000 square feet of a parking lot across from the Nashville Fairgrounds, making room for new trees to safeguard Browns Creek. In South Nashville, growing the tree canopy isn’t just about putting trees in the ground — it’s about making space for them in the first place.

Planting trees offers a powerful, cost-effective tool to help intercept rainfall, reduce runoff, stabilize streambanks, and filter pollutants before they reach the water. Especially in ultra-urban watersheds like the Browns Creek watershed, where flash flooding and lack of streamside vegetation exacerbate erosion and pollution, urban trees can act as green infrastructure — offering cooling shade above and stormwater management below. Investing in tree canopy here is an investment in cleaner water, healthier residents, and a more climate-resilient city.

NEIGHBORHOODS OF LOWER BROWNS CREEK

Tucked just south of downtown Nashville, Lower Browns Creek flows through Berry Hill, past the Fairgrounds, and through Wedgewood-Houston, Chestnut Hill, and the Napier neighborhood before reaching the Cumberland River. Wedgewood-Houston has been a hub of major new development in recent years, featuring well-known restaurants, art galleries, and retail establishments. Historically, it was an industrial area home to warehouses, factories, and garages. 

The Napier neighborhood, which is growing and changing quickly in its own right, is a residential area that is home to the Napier Place public housing complex, built in 1939. Over the decades, the Napier neighborhood has experienced the cumulative impact of redlining, infrastructure neglect, industrial encroachment, and chronic underfunding — all of which have shaped the landscape we see today. 

The built environment is marked by an abundance of hard surfaces, limited green space, and some of the city’s lowest tree canopy coverage. The tree canopy is severely lacking compared to other parts of the city, with just 23% coverage. This scarcity of trees results in local temperatures nearly 10 degrees Fahrenheit higher than those in surrounding neighborhoods, contributing to health issues for residents. Expanding the canopy here is essential for cooling the community, improving air quality, and promoting equal tree coverage throughout the city.

In a neighborhood facing issues like urban heat, poor air quality, and stormwater flooding, the presence of trees is not just an aesthetic benefit — it is a matter of health and safety. Tree planting in Napier isn’t just about beautifying the neighborhood — it’s about addressing decades of infrastructural neglect with tangible, restorative action.

WHERE CHANGE TAKES ROOT: GREENING THE TENNESSEE JUSTICE CENTER

The Tennessee Justice Center is located in the Napier community and is a non-profit, public interest law and advocacy firm serving families in need. In 2023, the Compact partnered with the Tennessee Justice Center to transform the landscape surrounding their office at 155 Lafayette Street. The area around the center was originally fully paved, a typical condition in this heavily urbanized part of South Nashville; however, during the organization’s recent office redevelopment, a portion of that impervious pavement was removed, creating an opportunity to plant Root Nashville trees. A Community Reforestation project adding 7 new trees to the property was designed and implemented by Compact staff. Before planting, the Compact conducted a soil test to assess soil compaction and nutrient levels, drawing on experience from our depave initiative.

The planting plan at the Tennessee Justice Center was designed with both aesthetics and functionality in mind. Serviceberry and crabapple trees were selected for their compact stature — an intentional choice to accommodate the overhead power lines while still providing substantial canopy benefits. Arranged in an evenly spaced, window-like pattern, these trees frame the building with seasonal color, echoing the vibrant mural that stretches across its façade. Their blooms attract pollinators, enhancing local biodiversity in this urban corridor. In addition to their visual appeal, the trees provide shade and reduce runoff entering nearby Browns Creek. This thoughtful layout transforms a formerly paved space into a green haven that supports both environmental function and neighborhood beauty.

ROOTED IN COMMUNITY: CLAIBORNE FAMILY OF FAITH WORSHIP CENTER

Claiborne Family of Faith Worship Center stands at the center of the Napier neighborhood as a vital community anchor and gathering place. Root Nashville Neighborhood Planting Captain and CEO of the local nonprofit Recycle & Reinvest, Jaffee Judah, is deeply ingrained in the church community. In 2022, he helped organize a Community Reforestation project to revitalize the property. The church grounds served as the setting for the Recycle & Reinvest Block Party in October 2022, when the first of 25 Root Nashville trees was planted — a milestone that symbolized renewed community investment and environmental stewardship. 

Across the church site and its adjoining property, 8 blackgum, 8 serviceberry, and 8 sweetbay magnolia trees were planted. These additions contributed significantly to expanding the neighborhood’s tree canopy. The trees are regularly watered and maintained by the Cumberland River Compact Field Team to ensure their health and longevity.

HOW LOCAL LEADERSHIP IS GROWING SOUTH NASHVILLE’S CANOPY

Root Nashville’s Neighborhood Planting Captain program empowers local leaders to green their own blocks by facilitating tree plantings with and for their neighbors. Planting Captains are more than volunteers: they are trusted community connectors who help bridge the gap between residents and trees by organizing outreach, identifying planting sites, and advocating for trees as essential infrastructure. In South Nashville (including the Lower Brown’s Creek watershed), the need is especially urgent — only 18% of the neighborhood is tree-covered, compared to a target of 50%. In places like this, progress is hard-won, built through trust, persistence, and relationships.

That’s what makes the leadership of Jaffee Judah so vital. As a Neighborhood Planting Captain in 2022-2023, Jaffee centered his outreach efforts around South Nashville and the Napier neighborhood. Through his connections to Claiborne Family of Faith Worship Center and the community at large, he created space for conversations about trees, health, and community — ultimately helping to coordinate the planting of Root Nashville trees across multiple sites. His work exemplifies the layered impact of community-rooted leadership: trees planted not just where they’re needed on a map, but where someone is willing to knock doors, answer questions, and walk the streets with purpose.

COMMUNITY REFORESTATION

Do you know of a private property that could benefit from a large-scale tree planting like the Tennessee Justice Center or the Claiborne Family of Faith Worship Center? Suggest it as a Root Nashville Community Reforestation project site! Through the Community Reforestation program, The Cumberland Compact can deliver and help plant 10+ trees at your Davidson County HOA, business, community space, school, or place of worship, free of charge. Watering and maintenance may also be available at no cost in priority areas. Every tree planted contributes to Root Nashville’s campaign goal of planting 500,000 trees in Davidson County by 2050.