Tour des Trees participants and David Draper (third from right), also known as The Tree Doctor, pose for a picture Monday, September 16, 2019, during a Tour des Trees stop at Basil Griffin Park. (Bac Totrong/photo@bgdailynews.com)

Nearly 80 people from across the nation left Nashville on Monday morning for a five-day bicycling tour through Kentucky and Tennessee.

Daughter-and-father duo Christy and Michael Grimm cycled the nearly 100-mile, bike-friendly path in 95-plus degree heat to Bowling Green, the first of four stops on the Tour des Trees, an annual long-distance cycling tour event that supports the Tree Research Education and Endowment Fund.

“Knowing that there are people that understand how to make healthy forests seems like a worthy thing to contribute to,” Christy Grimm said. “I just hope I can keep going the next few days.”

Christy Grimm works in aerospace and aviation engineering and owns a Christmas tree farm in Oregon. When she bought the farm, it was neglected and posed a high fire risk – so she’s been using familiar expertise to create a healthier forest.

Her father, Michael Grimm, runs a landscaping and tree service business in Syracuse, N.Y. He’s been a longtime supporter of the TREE Fund – and even completed his first Tour des Trees in 2001.

“A lot of research is needed on how we can grow trees in urban environments,” Michael Grimm said, such as the best practices for planting sidewalk-compatible trees.

Since 1992, the TREE Fund has organized distance cycling tours in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom to support urban forestry research and public outreach through fundraising – each rider raises a minimum of $3,500 – and community events.

On Monday, the riders met with members of the Warren County community to plant a pink dogwood tree in Basil Griffin Park.

Warren County Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon attended the event to provide support for planting trees, which provide cooling shade and lower energy consumption, he said.

“Trees are such an important thing to all of our lives,” Buchanon said.

David Draper, the local “Tree Doctor” in Bowling Green, has been protecting trees for three decades through his business and involvement with the TREE Fund. When he discovered the Tour des Trees was coming to Kentucky, he decided to organize the tree planting.

“This is the first time that a TREE Fund event has gone a few miles within my house,” he said.

Through his own work, Draper determines the health of a forest. That might involve pinpointing an insect threat or identifying a human threat. Tree topping, for example, is the practice of removing some of the tree’s main trunk or top branches, which increases susceptibility to disease and decay, increases long-term maintenance costs and reduces the tree’s ability to process energy or release water.

“I’ve been trying to get rid of tree topping in Warren County,” Draper said.

There were also TREE Fund volunteers and family members who drove to meet with the cyclists at each scheduled stop.

Karen Grimm volunteered to support her daughter, husband and, of course, trees.

“Our urban forests are vital when it’s 96 degrees out,” Karen Grimm said. “They deserve attention and care and research. … People will water their flowers but they won’t water their trees.”

– Follow reporter Caroline Eggers on Twitter @eggersdaily news or visit bgdailynews.com.