In the summer, the Warner Park forest hums with cicadas, birdsongs and herds of deer. The tight, green canopy intertwines with fungi and boasts hundreds of species.

Ecologist Terry Cook is a fan of bats. He marches past a possibly 200-year-old oak to locate a shagbark tree, where bats often hide from sunlight.

“They love to get in under this bark that looks like it’s flaking off,” Cook said.

But these trees — and other big, old trees — could soon be cut down.

In January, Nashville officials proposed building a road through a forested area in Warner.

Warner shares a border with Cheekwood Estate and Gardens. The idea is to connect a major roadway, Highway 100, to both, to improve access and reduce traffic on other neighborhood streets.

In February, Cheekwood bought a property on Highwa

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