December 2013

The Green Matters e-newsletter is designed to give you a quick glimpse of important sustainability initiatives happening around the Atlanta region and beyond. Whether it's the latest research, new educational offerings, environmental stewardship efforts or potential funding opportunities, this e-newsletter will help you stay abreast of what's happening in this important subject area.

Street Tree Program Beautifies
Rights-Of-Way

The City of Southlake, Texas’ Keep Southlake Beautiful program is working to help beautify the community by encouraging Southlake residents to purchase trees to plant throughout the city. The city offers to cover 50 percent of the cost of planting four specific varieties of trees along common greens or in medians.

The purpose of the Street Tree Program is to provide quality shade trees to citizens to be planted within the right-of-way areas of streets and corridors throughout the city. The trees are intended to provide shade, screening, wildlife protection and pollution control as well as reduce stormwater runoff, control erosion, increase property values, reduce stress and create a sense of wellbeing within the community.

Trees are sold every year October 1 through December 31 on a first come, first serve basis. Planting is scheduled for late winter/early spring.

View the Tree Planting Program Brochure for more specifics.

Measure #34 – Forest Master Plan

The Green Communities certification program recognizes local governments that have developed and adopted a forest master plan with a comprehensive analysis of community forests and trees. Such plans include the jurisdiction’s goals for its urban forest system, as well as the status of that network (tree populations, distributions, species, etc.) These goals are accompanied by applicable action items and implementation tools, such as a right-of-way tree planting program.

The City of Dunwoody, a certified Green Community at the Silver level, recognized a need to complete a tree inventory and assessment of its urban forest. It created and implemented a best management plan to promote the long-term survivability of this valuable natural resource. Dunwoody’s Comprehensive Tree Inventory & Assessment was recently adopted as an amendment to its 2030 Comprehensive Plan. Dunwoody discovered that it has roughly 150 miles of public rights of way, replete with a dense tree canopy of a mix of native pines and hardwoods, as well as some invasive plant materials and nuisance trees. Dunwoody also has 190 acres of parks and other public property, which accordingly features mature trees, mature stands of trees and forested area. The city held a community volunteer day this fall in Brook Run Park, where more than 300 trees were planted (photo above).

Right Tree, Right Place – Tree
Planting Tips

Timing. It is best to buy in fall or winter from a reputable vendor, although the best selection can often be found in the spring.
Tree Quality. Select a tree that is insect-free, with no major scars on the trunk, and one that has a good branching structure (central leader with horizontal branching).
Proximity to structures such as houses. Planting a large tree too close to a structure can cause damage to the structure
Overhead and underground utilities. Call 811 for a utility check, or visit the Utilities Protection Center for more information.
Visibility. Make sure that the tree will not cause any sight line problems for cars, pedestrians, signage, etc.
Desired shade benefits. Don’t plant a small tree in a big space when a large one would benefit the area more.

Check out more planting and care tips from Trees Atlanta