Nashville to cut down cherry trees for NFL draft stage

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Nashville is planning to cut down 21 mature cherry trees to make space for a stage that will host NFL draft events.

The Tennessean reports the trees are scheduled to be cut down on Monday, just ahead of the city’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival. The festival includes a walk along the tree-lined downtown riverfront on April 13. The 2019 NFL draft takes place in Nashville April 25-27.

To help make up for the destroyed trees, the NFL and the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. each plan to donate 100 cherry trees to Metro Parks. The existing trees will be turned into mulch for use at other parks.

Nashville Tree Foundation Board President Noni Nielsen calls the removal “incredibly short-sighted” for a one-time event that will last only a few days.