Sustainability Across Atlanta : Trees Atlanta
Happy birthday America! As I write this month’s edition of Sustainability Across Atlanta, 4th of July celebrations are already underway with fireworks, cookouts and of course Braves baseball, ringing in what brings all Atlantans together. Another mainstay of this time of the year is high temperatures, which can range from the high 80s to the high 90s, and is expected to hit 100+ degrees this summer. What we do have going for us is the amazing green canopy that covers many parts of our community.
Trees not only provide cooling shade, they serve as natural air conditioners, which can keep home cooling costs down. Along with cleaning our air by absorbing carbon dioxide and expelling oxygen, trees help conserve water and prevent soil erosion. One amazing local organization is working tirelessly to stop Atlanta’s tree loss, protect its forests and increase its precious tree canopy. Trees Atlanta is a nonprofit founded in 1985 that aims to enhance our community through projects that lower air pollution, extreme heat, soil erosion and flash flooding, which can negatively affect people’s health and well being.
Trees Atlanta works through its volunteers to plant more trees, conserve existing green spaces, remove invasive species and educate the community on the benefits of adding to our green canopy. According to their website, Trees Atlanta pursues its mission “through a variety of programs including small and large tree planting, forest restoration, adult and youth education, tree care and advocacy”.
Since its founding, Trees Atlanta has taken a direct approach to work with residents, neighborhood groups, schools and businesses to reach the organization’s goals. The outcomes they pursue are beautification, increased shade, cooler temperatures, cleaner air and growth in civic pride and community involvement. They provide education and hands on experience for their volunteers on composting, water management, and public food forests.
One of the biggest projects that Trees Atlanta currently manages is the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum. Spanning 85 acres of greenspace along 13 miles of the Atlanta BeltLine corridor, this focus area is composed of approximately 46 acres of planted space, and 39 acres of natural habitats under restoration management.
The Atlanta BeltLine is one of the most successful, large scale and multi-faceted urban adaptive reuse programs in the United States. This sustainability focused redevelopment project is located along a historic 22 mile rail loop that was abandoned several years ago. What began as a Georgia Tech urban planning project now connects public parks, multi-use trails, and light-rail along a main paved trail, and has lead to nearly $10 billion in private investment and development including modern offices, apartments, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues.
Encircling Atlanta, the Atlanta Beltline connects 45 neighborhoods and provides walkable options where community members live, work, and play. “With nearly 2 million trail users each year, the Atlanta BeltLine provides an unprecedented opportunity to use the arboretum to educate the public about ecological restoration, utilizing native plants, and how urban ecology can reconnect fragmented communities. The arboretum serves as a component of Atlanta’s urban forest, acts as an ecological corridor, a place for education, community science, and scientific research, and a learning landscape.”
There are a variety of educational programs hosted by Trees Atlanta such as Scheduled Tree Tours, junior tree keeper camps, Arboretum observations, and Wildlife camera trap projects. I can vouch for this incredible program personally because I had the opportunity to work as a Youth Tree Team (YTT) member last summer. As a YTT member, I gained hands-on experience and knowledge about various natural habitats, native plant species, composting, erosion control, water management and public food forests. I was fascinated to learn that the largest food forest in the United States is right here in Atlanta.
Trees are an important part of every community and preserving our natural habitats is beneficial to all of us. By leveraging learning opportunities offered by organizations like Trees Atlanta, we can be better stewards of the natural world for generations to come.
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