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Written by Eli Taylor, Trees Atlanta Forest Restoration Supervisor

Atlanta currently has around 2,800 acres of public forest property in the City of Atlanta according to the city Department of Natural Resources. These forested areas and all the trees in right-of-ways and in yards across the city all comprise our urban forest. These spaces provide a sense of place for people and essential habitat for wildlife. These forests help define Atlanta as the City in the Forest, but they are under increasing pressure from development, changing weather patterns, and invasive plant species. These stressors greatly reduce a forest’s ability to support wildlife.

If we want Atlanta’s forest to remain healthy, resilient, and full of life, we must invest in their stewardship. One of the most tangible ways to do that is through the removal and long-term management of invasive plants. When invasive plants begin to spread and outcompete other plants, biodiversity decreases. A decline in biodiversity is not isolated to just plants, the entire ecosystem is adversely affected. Many local wildlife are dependent on native plants for survival, and their success declines as invasive species displace important native plants.

Scroll below to read more and see some local wildlife photos taken by Eli and other Trees Atlanta Forest Restoration staff.

Why Native Plants Matter to Wildlife

Picture a simple ecosystem food web. At the base are plants, the producers. Next come the consumers: insects, small mammals and birds, and then larger predators. When the makeup of the producers changes, everything else on the web is affected. 

We can take a closer look at the insect population. Many insects are specialists, meaning they have evolved alongside specific plants and developed unique adaptations to survive on them. A classic example is the goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidagnis), which completes its entire life cycle on goldenrod (Solidago spp). When a field is overtaken by the nonnative Johnson Grass (Sorghum halpense) there will be fewer places for the fly to complete its life cycle, directly reducing its population size. Fewer insects mean fewer food resources for birds and mammals, and the effects ripple upward throughout the food web. 

Beyond the food web, native plants and wildlife depend on one another for regeneration. Seeds are spread by birds and mammals, flowers are pollinated by insects, and healthy forests are sustained through these long-standing relationships. For wildlife to thrive, our forests must be intact and dominated by native plant species that have a symbiotic relationship with wildlife. 

So how do we begin restoring a forest that truly benefits wildlife?

Observe

To be a successful steward, you must become a student of the land. Start by asking questions such as:

• How does water move through this forest?
• How old is this forest?
• What pressures is this forest facing?
• Where are the canopy gaps?
• Most Importantly: What plants are here? 

Take note of the forest’s layers: canopy, understory, shrub, vine, and groundlayer. What species are present in each layer? What plants would you expect to see that are missing? 

Helpful resources include The Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Forests and plant identification apps like iNaturalist. For those looking to deepen their understanding of Georgia’s ecology, The Natural Communities of Georgia is a valuable resource. It describes the different ecotypes of Georgia and explains why certain plants grow where they do. There is also a companion website that expands on the book’s content.

Implement

Now we get to the fun part— let’s get physical!

If you are unfamiliar or a novice at removing invasive plants, consider volunteering at a Trees Atlanta Forest Restoration project. Our Project Leads will teach you how to identify target species and demonstrate safe and effective removal techniques. We’ve also detailed common invasive plants and removal methods in the Resources section of our website. 

For more in-depth guidance, Trees Atlanta’s Forest Stewardship class or EcoAddendum’s stewardship courses offer excellent training. 

Plant

Deciding what to plant is truly the fun part!

Removing invasive species opens up space for the forest seedbank, which are seeds waiting in the soils for the right conditions to germinate. It also creates opportunities to reintroduce diverse native species that may be missing. Planting plans should include food and habitat sources for wildlife across all forest layers. 

Here are a few examples of native plants particular to each layer of the forest and how they support wildlife: 

• Canopy: Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii) provides habitat for Horace’s Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) to lay its eggs. Acorns mature in the fall and are a key food source for deer. 
• Understory/Shrub: Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) produces fruit high in fat content in early autumn and serves as the preferred host plant for the spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus). A raccoon might snack on the fruit one week and enjoy the swallowtail’s chrysalis the next. 
• Vine: Purple passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) is the preferred larval host for the Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) and produces midsummer fruits that are quickly eaten by mammals and birds. 
• Groundlayer: Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) is a herbaceous perennial that blooms in May, producing small fruits enjoyed by small mammals and box turtles. 

The Natural Communities of Georgia is a helpful guide for narrowing down which plants will thrive in your forest. For example, Cascade Springs Nature Preserve, a city park in southwest Atlanta, is an oak-pine-hickory forest with mesic characteristics and a healthy canopy of American beech (Fagus grandifola), white oak (Quercus alba), and red maple (Acer rubrum). After removing dense privet from the understory, very little remained beneath the canopy. By referencing the Piedmont Oak-Pine-Hickory and Mesic Forest sections of the book, it’s possible to build a planting list that reflects what historically occupied those forest layers. 

To source native plants, be sure to check out the Trees Atlanta Native Plant Sale this spring. Another helpful resource is Georgia Native Plant Society which maintains a list of local nurseries. 

Observe (Again)

As time passes and seasons change, it’s important to pause and evaluate what’s working, what isn’t, and if new pressures have emerged. Removing invasive plants can temporarily reduce habitat, which is why long-term management and follow-up planting are essential parts of forest restoration. 

At the end of the day, our local ecosystem depends on the symbiotic relationships of native plants and native wildlife. While some species can and have adapted to using non-native plants, that adaptation is not a sign of a healthy forest ecosystem. Planting native species replaces what was removed and provides the specialized resources wildlife needs to thrive. Wildlife is remarkably adaptable and often prefers an in-progress forest over a highly disturbed one.

Restoration takes time and effort. We invite you to be a steward of the urban forest.

About the Author

Eli Taylor is the Forest Restoration Supervisor at Trees Atlanta and began his journey with the nonprofit as a seasonal forestry technician. He grew up tromping around the neighborhood creek in the northern suburbs of Atlanta before studying Painting in college. When not removing privet in the woods, you can find Eli working on a new quilt.

Spotted In the Wild

(Barred owl in Brownwood Park, April 2021. An active Trees Atlanta restoration site for 10 years. Credit Madison Cummiskey; Box turtle at Decatur Cemetery, June 2020. Credit Madison Cummiskey.; Red-spotted purple in Brownwood Park, July 2020. Credit Madison Cummiskey; Beaver at work at Morningside Nature Preserve, December 2021. Credit Taryn Heidel; Gulf fritillary caterpillar on giant ragweed at Cascade Springs Nature Preserve, 2023. Credit Eli Taylor; Cope’s gray tree frog at Morningside Nature Preserve, January 2019. Credit Madison Cummiskey; Gray ratsnake at Cascade Spring Nature Preserve, April 2019. Credit Emily Roth; Eastern Phoebe landing on my saw blade at Legacy Park, November 2025. Credit Eli Taylor)

Posted on February 5, 2026