Forward Forty: A Celebration of 40 Years with our Community

This year marks 40 years of Trees Atlanta. Our work began in 1985. We couldn’t imagine a better way to celebrate than be surrounded by the people who’ve made this journey possible. Our Forward Forty Community Open House brought together friends, neighbors, partners, and supporters to honor four decades of planting, conserving, and educating and to look ahead to the future of Trees Atlanta.

Event Highlights

Community members took home 50 free trees to plant and grow.
DJ 4:12 kept the energy high with music and a tea party including tasty sweet treats.
Our 40th Anniversary time capsule was buried starting with remarks from Executive Director Greg Levine and Board President Jai Rogers-Thomas. The time capsule is scheduled to be open in 40 years on Sept. 13, 2065!
Guests toured the Kendeda TreeHouse and learned about its innovative sustainability features.
A special walk through of our new tree nursery offered a glimpse at what’s next for Trees Atlanta.
Hands-on art activities invited kids and adults to imagine the future of Atlanta’s urban forest.
More than 100 guests stopped by the Kendeda TreeHouse to celebrate 40 years of Trees Atlanta.

Thank You

We are deeply grateful to everyone who are part of this milestone, from volunteers, neighbors, and staff to our sponsors and partners. Most of all, thank you to the metro Atlanta community for believing in the power of trees to transform our city.

What’s Next

As we mark the end of the first 40 years of Trees Atlanta, we’re looking forward to the next 40. We invite you to stay connected and get involved:

Join us for upcoming volunteer projects
Subscribe to our newsletter for updates and stories
Support our mission with a gift to help us grow the next 40 years
Keep learning why trees are so important now more than ever

Our next Speaker Series event is October 9 at the TreeHouse for our Speaker Series: Atlanta’s Downtown Tree Planting Initiative, a look back at the inspiration for the start of Trees Atlanta and a dive into one of our most significant projects for the future, the Downtown Tree Planting project that will plant 8000 trees in our city center.

Thank you to our community of photographers for capturing these moments from the open house. Appreciation and credit to: Artimio Black for DJ 4.12, Judy Yi, and Emily Chesser. Click on any image below to enlarge.

The Forward Forty Community Open House was one of many events hosted in 2025 to celebrate Trees Atlanta’s four decades of committment to the metro Atlanta community. As the celebration nears its year-long events, take a look at these other events spotlighting our gratitude to our community.

There’s still time to participate in the “40 for 40” Volunteer Challenge

Throughout 2025, all volunteer projects will count toward this exciting challenge. Volunteers who hit 40 volunteer hours will earn the honor of becoming a Green Shirt and receive a limited-edition 40th Anniversary Trees Atlanta bucket hat! Make sure to get your hours in by December 1 and pick up your bucket hat at our Volunteer Holiday Party on December 6.