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Join Trees Atlanta, Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking, and fiber ethnobotanist James Ojascastro to learn how to make your own paper from the invasive paper mulberry tree (Broussonetia papyrifera). During this hands-on project, participants will learn why removing invasive species like invasive mulberry trees from Atlanta’s urban forest can help native plants, animals, and wildlife thrive and how to use materials from the trees to create paper.

This program is part of a two-part Papermaking Series (with an optional 3rd class to harvest fiber in the forest - highly encourage) in partnership with the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking at Georgia Tech.

PLEASE CHECK TIMES BELOW - START & END TIMES DIFFER BY SESSION. 

• Bonus Field Session (May 16th, 9 AM - 12 PM) - Harvest: Participants harvest mulberry trees from Connally Family Cemetery  (2363 Manor Ave., East Point, GA). In doing so, they help restore this historical site and metro Atlanta’s urban forest. Workshop participants will use these materials to make paper! *This is an optional/bonus event in this three-part series that we highly recommend to understand the Forest to Fiber process. Learn more & register here.
• Session 1: May 30th (9am  - 1pm) Fiber Prep - Participants will learn how to prepare and process the fiber material harvested (in optional bonus) from these trees to later turn it into their own paper. You’ll get to scrape and beat! All skill levels welcome and all materials provided.  
• Session 2: June 6 th(10 AM - 4 PM) Paper Creation - Participants will make paper! All skill levels are welcome, and all materials will be provided. Paper made during the workshop will need dry time post-workshop and will be available for pick-up/shipping a few days after the workshop. There will be a lunch break from approximately 12:30 PM to 1:15 PM.

Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking at Georgia Tech has a mission to collect, preserve, increase, and disseminate knowledge about papermaking - past, present and future. They meld art, history, technology and industry from historical and global perspectives. Museum visitors follow the path of paper from the earliest examples of writing materials, to the Chinese discovery of how to make paper, to the paper mills of Europe, and the high-tech machinery of today’s modern paper industry. Learn more about the museum here.

About the Instructor: James Ojascastro is an ethnobotanist, papermaker, and origamist who blends science and art to inform his research and inspire his creative practice. He completed his Ph.D. in 2023 at Washington University in St. Louis, in partnership with the Missouri Botanical Garden, where he studied the ecological connections between plants and people through the lens of artisanal papermaking. Currently, James lives in Georgia, where he manages field botany and plant conservation programs for the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

Additional Information

• Doors open 15 minutes before the program start time.

• Getting There: The Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking is located at 500 10th St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30332

• Registration Information:

  • Single Ticket (covers workshop materials and instructor costs) - $150

  • Show Love to Trees Atlanta (Single Ticket + Covers Planning Costs) -$ 200

  • Pay it Forward (Single Ticket + Scholarship for another participant) - $300

  • Need financial assistance? Contact education@treesatlanta.org

• What to Bring and Wear: Clothes & shoes you don’t mind getting wet or dirty

• Cancellation Policy: All cancellation requests must be emailed to education@treesatlanta.org. Cancellation requests that are not made via email will not be honored.

  • Two weeks or less before the event date: No refund of program fee

  • More than two weeks before the event date: Refund minus a $15 administrative fee

  • If there is a need for Trees Atlanta to cancel an event, participants will receive a full refund.

• Safety and Inclement Weather Policy: Learn more about our current Safety Protocols for In-Person Education Events here

• Questions: If you have any questions or comments regarding this event, please email education@treesatlanta.org.

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