Good news, Atlanta: Your trees are thriving
Jun 18, 2009 by Brian Brodrick
You know who doesn’t care about bad economic news? Trees. And that was apparent this spring in Atlanta.
Atlanta, long known as a city of trees, wasn’t faring so well in that department just 12 years ago when I moved to Midtown. At the time, fresh from the verdant campus of Berry College in Rome, I noticed lots of trees being cut down, and many others dying. Less noticeable at the time were the thousands of trees being planted by organizations like Trees Atlanta, Central Atlanta Progress, the Midtown Alliance, the Buckhead Coalition and private developers. However, as I got to know the city, it was clear that there was a distinct awareness and appreciation for trees.
This week, 12 years after my arrival in Atlanta, I drove from Midtown to downtown along Peachtree Street. I often notice how the street has evolved architecturally, and how many pedestrians crowd this once forlorn stretch of road. But I noticed something else this year. Peachtree has become a green corridor in the best possible sense. Hundreds of oaks, elms and maples now frame our most famous boulevard. This year, the effect is energizing and inspiring. In another 10 years, the effect will be profound. It will be lasting. In short, it is something Atlanta should be proud of.
The effort of city leaders, nonprofits and citizens to plant urban trees has created a legacy. Indeed, according to the Select Sustainable Tree Trust, an organization that works with donors to donate large, sustainable trees to nonprofits in the South, each large sustainable shade tree planted can provide incredible benefits in quality of life — $168,000 in environmental benefits in its first 50 years, according to the Arbor Day Foundation.
Trees planted in cities and near roads are particularly effective if selected, grown and installed in a fashion that provides them with greater odds for survival. Some trees are more sustainable than others based on superior genetics and nursery culture — these tend to become a community’s oldest and largest trees. Credit goes to organizations like the Midtown Alliance that understand the need to install trees that are indeed sustainable through Atlanta’s droughts, heat and storms.
Today, I am an Atlanta expatriate — I reside with my family in Watkinsville, a small “Tree City” an hour outside Atlanta. Many of these sustainable trees are grown in our community before being transplanted to Atlanta and other cities, and I’m proud that our trees are making a difference in Georgia’s capital.
My distance from the city also gives me a fresh appreciation for Atlanta’s constant evolution, and the greening of its streets is one of the most profound. Atlanta’s trees are a legacy that should outlive us all and help to ensure the continued viability and livability of the city.
So Atlantans, these are tough times. But the trees don’t care. And since they didn’t plant themselves, don’t just hug a tree — give yourself a pat on the back, too.
Brian Brodrick, a Watkinsville city councilman, is on the advisory board for Select Sustainable Tree Trust.
Tagged: sustainable trees, select sustainable tree trust, atlanta trees, sstt, environmental benefits of trees, trees atlanta, central atlanta progress, the midtown alliance, the buckhead coalition