The City Urban Environmental Department (UED) is responsible for managing Murfreesboro's urban forests and educating citizens about the importance of trees and landscape maintenance. Among the areas of responsibility include the Historic Downtown Square, Medical Center Parkway, Oaklands Historic House Mansion, Cannonsburgh Village, the Greenway, and City parks.

During the past two months UED has been involved in a number of one-time and on-going projects to enhance the aesthetic beauty of the community and the condition of trees to preserve and enhance the legacy of Murfreesboro's urban forests.

Among the recent UED projects are the following:

• Crews collected an average 35 bags of leaves per week off the Downtown Square during a period of six weeks.
• Completed winter season cleanup of 17 City properties which included leaf removal, plant trimming, and cutting back perennials.
• Completed winter 2015 phase of the Oaklands Historic House Museum property tree removal/replacement. Seven (7) Pin Oak trees were removed and replaced with Nuttall Oaks.
• Removed twenty (20) Red Maple street trees along Medical Center Parkway scheduled for replacement with Ulmus Americana 'Princeton' Elms over the next two weeks, weather permitting.
• Planted 16 trees at Cason Lane Elementary, replacing Bradford Pears.
• Removed, cleaned and cut the metal grates as part of the Downtown Street Tree Maintenance program.
• Planted 45 Dwarf Crape Myrtles along Northfield Blvd.

In January, UED began Phase 1 of the Tree Replacement Project on Medical Center Parkway from Gateway Blvd. to Warren Street. Phase 1 replaces 20 Red Maples with Princeton Elms on the south side of Medical Center Parkway directly across from St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital.

"Part of UED's mission is the treatment, removal and replacement of trees that suffer from diseases or insects and environmental factors," said Assistant UED Director Kane Adams. "When trees are damaged from excessive heat, drought or insect infestation, we work to revive or replace them with more resistance varieties."

A date for installation of the new trees on Medical Center Parkway is expected prior to February, weather-permitting. Phase 2 of the Medical Center Parkway Street Tree Replacement Project will include the replacement of 18 Red Maples and another two groups of six Red Maples along the north side of Medical Center Parkway during the winter of 2016-17. All new trees were selected and tagged by the UED certified arborist.