Beltline Arboretum

Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum

Many questions swirl around the Atlanta BeltLine: its development, scope, benefits, and impact on the rest of Atlanta. You may have heard the Atlanta BeltLine mentioned in the news, may have voted on an aspect of it in a recent local election, or may soon learn that the neighborhood in which you live is actually in it.

Since the developments with the Atlanta BeltLine itself can be a little confusing to follow, we know that the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum, spearheaded by Trees Atlanta, may leave you truly mystified! Let's try to answer some of your questions.

First, What Exactly is the Atlanta BeltLine?

Atlanta's BeltLine is a 22-mile loop of historic railroad currently being planned for conversion to a greenway in downtown Atlanta. The greenway is designed to connect 40 city parks and 45 neighborhoods for pedestrian and cyclist use. The Atlanta BeltLine will feature over 1,200 acres of new greenspace for residents to use and enjoy, and will be built in tandem with a new mass transit route. The first sections are projected to be complete by approximately 2011. Construction is consistenly underway, and each month marks another month of progress.

To learn more about the Atlanta BeltLine itself, visit the website www.BeltLine.org.

Click here for a larger picture of this map.

What is the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum?

An arboretum is a living tree museum. A typical arboretum is located in a park or garden, where trees can be arranged in themes or by closely-related species.

The Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum will be different. It will be a 22-mile linear tree museum that connects neighborhoods and works hand-in-hand with the Atlanta BeltLine. The Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum is essentially a continuous indoor/outdoor classroom. The Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum communicates to schools, neighborhoods, and visitors to Atlanta that 'trees are for health, trees are for community, trees are for life.' The Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum is more than a tree museum; it's a corridor of scientific research and education.

Trees Atlanta's initial work to implement the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum is funded by The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. We have also received support from the Georgia Forestry Commission, WABE 90.1 FM, American Express, The Isdell Family Foundation, The City of Atlanta and supporters like you. Click here for a larger picture of this map.

The Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum is a project that will be implemented over the next two decades. This program will be a success when everyone in Atlanta can identify their neighborhood by the trees that surround them and therefore have more personal investment in the role trees play in an urban environment.

For more than 20 years, Trees Atlanta has worked to protect and expand Atlanta's urban forest. We added the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum initiative to the overall Atlanta BeltLine project in order to:

Preserve and expand the City's urban forest while increasing canopy cover and shade,

Provide opportunities for educational programming,

Create an attraction of city-wide, region-wide, and nation-wide interest,

Improve neighborhood identity and connection,

And enhance the function, connectivity, and appeal of Atlanta BeltLine light rail and trail facilities

Read the BeltLine Arboretum Conceptual Plan

Part 1 & Part 2

The Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum's visionary qualities, making it unique among the nation's urban green spaces, include: 1) its diversity and extent of planting and greening opportunities; 2) variety of trails, transit links and crossings; 3) looped linkage of multiple inner city neighborhoods; and 4) potential for generating initiatives [ecological, environmental, scientific, educational, and economic] within and beyond the 22-mile long BeltLine Corridor.

Opportunity
Residents and developers have the opportunity to be connected to the Atlanta BeltLine today by planting particular trees that define and support the arboretum's individual collections, which are called Natural Neighborhoods. The landscape of homes, parks, and developments may also include plants, art, and environmental demonstration to further strengthen the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum's development.

Benefits

Visual unity and connectivity (sense of place) for the entire Atlanta BeltLine
Unique attraction for Atlanta residents and visitors to enjoy
Cleaner air and better water quality for all Atlantans
Removal of up to 13-pounds of carbon dioxide from the air per tree
Added shade for bicyclists, pedestrians, commuters and others
Bird and wildlife corridor - a place to attract, view and provide habitat for wildlife
Educational opportunities for people young and old
Stewardship and conservation of soil, water and biological resources
Improved richness of biological and ecological diversity
Additional greenspace for the City of Atlanta
Demonstrations of environmentally responsible design
Additional buy-in for property owners adjacent to the Atlanta BeltLine/more reason to get involved and support the entire Atlanta BeltLine project
Likely creating the "longest linear arboretum" in the country
Restoration of degraded landscapes
Attract interest in the Atlanta BeltLine among not yet engaged citizens and partners
Increased enthusiasm among citizens about the creation of the Atlanta BeltLine
Fosters volunteer involvement and maintenance funding for Atlanta BeltLine as a whole

For more information on the Atlanta Beltline, visit www.Beltline.org. For more information on the Atlanta Beltline Arboretum, contact Greg Levine at Trees Atlanta or click here.