Atlanta Finds Its Identity as Tree Haven Threatened (neighborhood, construction)

[shivtim]

You can really see the problem (like the picture Testa50 posted) when you fly out of Atlanta. All throughout the suburbs there are huge developments where the land has been stripped to red clay and dirt. In many cases, these developments were stalled by the housing crisis. So there are whole "neighborhoods" of dirt.

[pinetreelover]

The article states that
"The biggest factor in the deforestation, which some residents have called Treepocalypse, has been the steadily bad weather" I would disagree - I think the biggest factor is the human factor of people cutting down mature growth trees that are indigenous to the area and then replacing them with more decorative trees such as Leyland Cypress or Bradford Pears to achieve quick growth. Those types of trees, no matter how mature, will never provide the canopy that oaks, pecan, maples - and yes, even pinetrees will.

I also take issue with the statement that Atlanta charges up to $1000 to remove a tree even with a permit. Perhaps that is the case on paper, but even if that policy is being enforced, it is clearly not enough of a deterrent to prevent developers and some home owners from clear-cutting their property.

This recent article in Creative Loafing points to some serious concerns with the city arborists.
Lake Claire citizens critical of city's treatment of trees | News Feature | Creative Loafing Atlanta

[testa50]

Originally Posted by kirkwoodhipster

Disagree that the problem is exaggerated. Atlanta's tree coverage has decreased from over 48% in the 70s (before the advent of clear-cutting, to 36% in 1996 (still the highest of any major city) to 27% now. In 1996 the national avg was 27%, but I dunno if thats decreased also. Hopefully Atlanta's 27% is still the highest.

Interesting stats. Do you know where I can find them? Are they city proper or metro? Also, seems like this would be tough to calculate. Much of our tree cover is on privately-owned residential land, rather than undeveloped land. That's part of what makes us unique.

Also, if there is a plot of land that is going to be developed with density, I'm generally okay with removing trees. What I really hate is when the trees are flattened and then a bunch of SFHs are built in a field of red dirt.

[tonygeorgia]

I thought developers had to plant trees for every tree they destroy?

[johnatl]

Originally Posted by tonygeorgia

I thought developers had to plant trees for every tree they destroy?

It depends on the jurisdiction, Tony. The City, DeKalb & Fulton have the strongest ordinances.

[kirkwoodhipster]

Originally Posted by testa50

Interesting stats. Do you know where I can find them? Are they city proper or metro? Also, seems like this would be tough to calculate. Much of our tree cover is on privately-owned residential land, rather than undeveloped land. That's part of what makes us unique.

Why do you ALWAYS second guess peoples posts and info, especially mine? Have I not proven myself to you on this site? Would you demand citations in a normal conversation? Some people have ZERO social intelligence.

But fine, if you dont beleive me, go to Atlanta's Wikipedia page, look under the "geography" section, and then under the "tree canopy" sub-section. The references you demand access to are located in that section.

[testa50]

Originally Posted by kirkwoodhipster

Why do you ALWAYS second guess peoples posts and info, especially mine? Have I not proven myself to you on this site? Would you demand citations in a normal conversation? Some people have ZERO social intelligence.

But fine, if you dont beleive me, go to Atlanta's Wikipedia page, look under the "geography" section, and then under the "tree canopy" sub-section. The references you demand access to are located in that section.

Dude, seriously?

I had about half a dozen questions after reading those stats, and figured it would be a lot easier if I could just look at where ever you found them myself.

Sorry I'm always qualifying and debunking stats, but that kind of what I do. I'm a consultant. My goal is always to get a clear idea of what's actually happening and make sure that I draw conclusions on complete information rather than incomplete information. Before I let statistics I view as important sink in, I always want to understand how they were developed and what the limitations are.

That fact that you posted statistics that I felt were relevant enough to investigate further is a compliment, not an insult--stats about change in tree cover compared with other cities is, like, the relevant statistic in this discussion. I don't ask questions about pointless statistics, I just ignore them. Maybe I should try to inquire with more tact. Anyways, sorry I offended you.

[sjuraud]

Funny situation. My wife's niece (14 year old) and nephew (13 year old) just came into Atlanta on their first trip to the US from somewhere near Seoul, South Korea two weeks ago. I guess they don't have a lot of trees where they live. On their way from the airport to my wife's parents house, they asked how far the mountains were. They thought that the tree canopy in the distance were mountains!

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by pinetreelover

This recent article in Creative Loafing points to some serious concerns with the city arborists.
Lake Claire citizens critical of city's treatment of trees | News Feature | Creative Loafing Atlanta

How about this guy?

Buckhead property owner fined $52,000 for cutting trees, says he didn’t do it

Apparently his neighbor got whacked with another $41,190.

Not a good idea to take down trees in the ATL without a permit.

[lorilove]

Talking about trees - is anyone else getting tired of crape mytles. I love them but seriously, can't developers get more creative and plant something else on occasion.

And please, don't crape murder your trees every year.