Conserve the 4-0-Forest Project Sites Selected for 2024
Friday Project Sites | Saturday Project Sites
Trees Atlanta selected 13 project sites for the 2024 Conserve the 4-0-Forest volunteer weekend, Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27. We’re working in greenspaces in Atlanta and Decatur to celebrate our community partners and the greenspaces we love.
This is a call to action for our 4-0-Forest! Evoking Atlanta’s oldest area code (404), Conserve the 4-0-Forest is a hometown shoutout of our love of trees through community action and forest restoration. Trees Atlanta will teach volunteers to identify common invasive plant species and how to remove them while working together in the 4-0-Forest project sites. It is urgently important that we remove and control aggressive and invasive plant species that threaten the health of existing and future trees and the urban ecosystem.
Volunteering at Conserve the 4-0-Forest is an exciting start to put learning into practice. Want to get a head start? Explore these virtual resources and upcoming classes.
Volunteers are asked to register in advance for these 2024 project sites.
Conserve the 4-0-Forest Friday Projects – April 26, 2024
- BeltLine Eastside Trail at Greenwood Ave (Virginia-Highland)
Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum care including hand-pulling and cutting invasive plants; such as, English ivy, Chinese privet, and kudzu in a densely wooded area off trail. Physical activity such as bending, pulling, lifting, and kneeling is required. Register
- Clear Creek Nature Preserve (Brookwood Hills)
Clear Creek Nature Preserve has been preserved by the Brookwood Hills Community Club as a publicly accessible greenspace. We’re excited to highlight this community space and help remove Chinese privet to make room for the next generation of native trees to thrive. Register
- Herbert Greene Nature Preserve (Boulder Park)
Herbert Greene Nature Preserve is co-managed by Atlanta Department of Watershed Management and City of Atlanta Parks Department. With help from the Friends of Herbert Greene Nature Preserve, we’ll remove wisteria and Chinese privet to re-establish the trail and make this greenspace more accessible to the community. Register
- Legacy Park (Decatur)
Legacy Park is the former site of an orphanage that operated for over 100 years. In 2017, the City of Decatur purchased the land to preserve it as a greenspace. Since 2021, Trees Atlanta has worked alongside the East Decatur Greenway and neighbors from Avondale Estates and surrounding communities to restore the forested area of the park. Help us remove English ivy to support the wildlife and humans that enjoy the greenspace. Register
- Morningside Nature Preserve (Morningside)
Morningside Nature Preserve is one of our longest-standing forest restoration partnerships. With the help of Friends of Morningside Nature Preserve and the Morningside-Lenox Place Association, Trees Atlanta has been working to restore this beautiful greenspace for almost 20 years. Help us remove invasive plants, such as Chinese privet, to support the wildlife and humans that enjoy the greenspace. Register
- Proctor Creek Greenway (Rockdale)
The Proctor Creek Greenway is a PATH trail that runs from Bankhead to Grove Park. The greenspace was established in 2015 and has been maintained by Trees Atlanta with support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Georgia Power. Proctor Creek watershed is an EPA designated Urban Waters priority site, which promotes community-led efforts at ecological revitalization. Help us remove invasive plants, such as Chinese privet, to make it a sustainable urban greenspace for the surrounding communities. Register
Conserve the 4-0-Forest Saturday Projects – April 27, 2024
- Atlanta Memorial Park (Buckhead)
Over the past 9 years Trees Atlanta has worked closely with the Atlanta Memorial Park Conservancy to restore and reforest the over 200 Acres of greenspace in Atlanta Memorial Park. Join us alongside the many dedicated neighbors to improve this greenspace for the wildlife and humans that enjoy it. Register
- BeltLine Westside Trail at Holderness (West End)
Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum care including hand-pulling and cutting invasive plants; such as, English ivy, Chinese privet, and kudzu in a densely wooded area off trail. Physical activity such as bending, pulling, lifting, and kneeling is required. Register
- Langhorn Chestnut Orchard (Ashview Heights)
The Langhorn Chestnut Orchard is a unique space adjacent to Atlanta BeltLine Westside trail maintained with support from the American Chestnut Foundation. Help us preserve the orchard as an educational space to teach the community about the decline of the American Chestnut and current efforts to bring it back. Part of our goal is to eventually make this space accessible from the BeltLine. Register
- Stone Hogan Park (Greenbriar)
Stone Hogan is a large greenspace serving the Greenbriar community, including nearby apartments and LIFE Church of Atlanta. Work alongside high school students from the Turner Foundation for Community Advocacy working to better their community. Help us remove invasive plants, such as Chinese privet, to support the wildlife and humans that enjoy the greenspace. Register
- Swann Nature Preserve (Swallow Circle-Baywood)
Swann Nature Preserve is one of the largest remaining mature forests in southeast Atlanta. Trees Atlanta works with Atlanta Watershed Management to protect and improve this beautiful greenspace in the South River watershed. Help us remove Chinese privet to improve habitat for the humans who use the greenspace for recreation and wildlife that call it home. Register
- Emma Millican Park (Capitol View Manor)
Through a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant, Trees Atlanta works with Birds Georgia, Atlanta Amphibian Foundation, and Capitol View Manor Neighborhood Association to perform invasive removal, run educational programs, and promote the use and activation of Emma Millican Park. Register
- Woodall Creek Rail Trail (Blandtown)
The Woodall Creek Rail Trail is a community greenspace that will eventually connect to the Atlanta BeltLine trail and ultimately the Silver Comet Trail. In partnership with the Upper Westside Community Improvement District, Groundwork Atlanta, and M West Apartments, Trees Atlanta works on forest restoration and creek restoration projects. Help us remove invasive plants, like Chinese privet and cherry laurel, to support the wildlife and humans that enjoy the greenspace. Register
Please register to help us properly evaluate headcount for each location.
- Volunteers who register for a project will receive specific meeting location information via email.
- Volunteers will learn how to identify common invasive plant species found in the area where they are working, how to remove them, and why they should be removed.
- In addition to good old-fashioned elbow grease, volunteers will use hand saws, hand pruners, and weed wrenches for removal.
- Trees Atlanta will provide tools, gloves, and other materials needed for the project, but if you have any of the tools mentioned, please feel free to bring them. We request only the tools listed are used and that you take full responsibility of their use.
- It is HIGHLY recommended to wear long pants, long-sleeve shirt, and close-toed shoes.
- After the invasive removal portion of the project, volunteers can choose to stay and join us on a tour of the greenspace to learn about its history and the watershed in which it is located.
Get a Head Start
You can remove undesirable plants from your backyard, neighborhood, or local park – come learn how. Whether you prefer to learn on your own with these online resources or you’d rather learn in person with hands-on instruction and practice, we have a way you can get started!
- Use our digital guide for identification and removal methods: Atlanta’s Top Invasive Plants (A to Z) Expanded List
- Explore Trees Atlanta education classes, such as Forest Stewardship Training
Posted on: February 8, 2024