Pollinator Habitat Program

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is doing its part to meet these pollinator-friendly goals by building and maintaining pollinator habitat along our 13,807 miles of state-maintained roadways and near welcome centers and rest stops, including:

• Best maintenance practices and sound ecological principles, through Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management (IRVM methods are currently utilized along guardrails.)
• Modify mowing schedules to be compatible with pollinator cycles
• Utilize swath mowing practices to reduce costs and increase habitat (currently implemented)
• Include pollinator plants in roadside landscaping during new construction and rehabilitation projects where possible
• Establish pollinator meadows and gardens at Welcome Centers and Rest Stops across the state
• Develop roadside pilot projects across the state (Research is currently underway. More information TBA.)
• Create information signage to educate the public about the many benefits of pollinators

Look for more good things to come as we work to connect and create pollinator habitats across the beautiful state of Tennessee.
 

National Pollinator Week

In 2007, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved and designated a week in June as National Pollinator Week. The celebration is a nationwide effort that calls attention to the steps everyone-from government to private sector to individual citizens-can take to protect and restore pollinator populations. This year, National Pollinator Week is June 22-28, 2020, as designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of the Interior. For more information on how you can help, visit the Pollinator Partnership website.