Greetings from Tennessee!

[AaronMcGarity]

My name is Aaron and I'm a climbing arborist in Nashville, TN with a passion for trees. I find myself around trees and in trees everyday and walking in the forest, gazing up in my free time. I am also beginning to facilitate recreational tree climbing. I love big trees, and it seems everyone here does too! Thanks to Patty Jenkins for pointing me in the direction of the Native Tree Society. Can't wait to get involved. Let me know if anybody is located near me!

-Aaron

[Matt Markworth]

Aaron,

It's very nice to have you aboard. It sounds like we have a common friend in Patty! I've been to Atlanta a couple times and learned recreational tree climbing from Peter Jenkins and instructor-in-training Erika Muñoz this past summer.

I've spent time in the Bluegrass Region of KY and I've heard that the Nashville Basin is similar. The ancient open-grown trees I've seen in the Bluegrass (bur oak, chinkapin oak, Shumard oak, blue ash, shellbark hickory) are amazing. Do you see a lot of those same species down there?

Matt

[AaronMcGarity]

We have a few really nice bur oaks here. Chinkapin oaks seem to be more common, and I've seen some hefty ones for sure! There are also a good number of shellbark hickories (we call them shagbark). I couldn't tell you about the other too. I haven't seen any that I know of.

[mdavie]

Nashville is my home town; I went briefly for thanksgiving, and went walking with friends in a patch of Percy Warner that I've got to get back into and measure!Very tall for middle TN.
There are shagbarks and shellbarks in Nashville, they're two different (but similar) species. Where are the biggest bur or chinkapin oaks that you've seen?

[Laurina]

HI There,
I'm glad to hear that you are interested in recreational tree climbing. I'm just starting and looking for opportunities in middle Tennessee. I'm just north of you in Clarksville.
Laurina