KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Knoxville is making an effort to focus on its trees.

Kasey Krouse is the city's urban forestry director. He told the Knoxville News Sentinelthat a recent decision to make urban forestry its own division within the Public Service Department will allow workers to be more proactive about keeping existing trees healthy. Krouse said the city in the past has been reactive, dealing with problems as they arise.

Krouse said it has been a struggle to keep trees alive in some areas. The Sequoyah Hills neighborhood lost almost 100 trees in 2013.

Contract crews have been hired to do a winter planting of 600 trees, and Krouse is overseeing a city tree inventory meant to help guide future plantings.

Krouse said diversifying the plantings will help minimize tree loss.