Trees Atlanta Receives $5,000 Grant From National Environmental Group and Toyota Motor Sales, USA | Trees Atlanta

Trees Atlanta Receives $5,000 Grant From National Environmental Group and Toyota Motor Sales, USA

ATLANTA, GA – On Thursday, September 3, 2015, Toyota Motor Sales, USA and the National Environmental Education Foundation, also known as NEEF, announced a $5,000 grant award to Trees Atlanta.

Trees Atlanta protects and improves Atlanta’s urban forest by planting, conserving and educating. Today, with 30 years of experience and over 100,000 trees planted, Trees Atlanta has become one of Atlanta’s most widely known and supported nonprofit organizations.

“NEEF and Toyota Motor Sales, USA award grants across the country to local groups who are getting their communities involved with our public lands, which helps ensure the wellbeing of the earth and its people,” said Carol Watson, Senior Vice President for Programs for NEEF. “When each of us plays a role in supporting our environment, all of our actions add up to big impact.”

In 2011, Toyota Motor Sales, USA and NEEF formed a partnership to launch the Public Lands Every Day Program to build capacity for local organizations that steward and support public lands throughout the nation. Through this program, NEEF and Toyota Motor Sales, USA are awarding $217,000 this year to 49 groups, including Trees Atlanta.

“Grant funds will be used to support a new strategic plan that will allow Trees Atlanta to be in a better position to serve the Atlanta community and develop as organization,” said Meghan Cook, a spokesperson for Trees Atlanta.

“We applaud the group’s work to maximize the environment as a resource for the community,” Ms. Watson added.

About NEEF

NEEF was chartered by Congress in 1990 to partner with the EPA to advance environmental literacy nationwide. NEEF’s vision is bold: By 2022, 300 million Americans actively use environmental knowledge to ensure the well-being of the earth and its people. To achieve its vision, NEEF offers scientific, unbiased, factual information through its own communications platforms, as well as a network of trusted professionals and affinity communities that, with their relationships and credibility, amplify environmental messages to national audiences. NEEF also implements environmental education investments in areas that best connect with everyday life: health, weather/climate and nature where we live, learn, work and play.

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1. Magnolia Collection

Magnolias are part of an ancient lineage of flowering plants dating back approximately 95 million years. The Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum is home to 18 types of magnolias from evergreen to flowering. Two magnolias in particular have witnessed history as they were planted just beyond the outfield wall for the former Ponce de Leon Park, where the Atlanta Crackers played baseball. Babe Ruth and Eddie Matthews both hit home runs that were caught in the canopy of one of these magnolia trees. As part of Arboretum experimentation, we have taken cuttings from these historic magnolias and grown them into new trees so that this piece of history can live on the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum and in new parks and baseball fields around Atlanta.

2. 33 Oaks

The oak trees on this slope and throughout the Arboretum represent many ecosystems in Georgia, from bottomland hardwood swamps to granite outcrops. Of the approximately 90 species of oaks native to the United States, 33 are native to Georgia. All 33 oaks are growing on this slope and between them dance 33 stainless steel leaf sculptures – one for each tree.

These metal oaks were designed and crafted by David Landis of Landis Sculpture Studio. Learn more about David’s work here. For more information about the individual oaks featured, see our fact sheet here.

To learn more general information about our Georgia oaks, check out this video here.

3. Beech Circle

Among the stateliest of our native trees, beeches are indicative of a mature forest. Though they can take around 40 years to produce a large quantity of nuts, beech trees are critical for wildlife. Beeches provide food and shelter for all kinds of birds and mammals, such as the red-headed woodpecker. Dubbed the fairy ring, the circle of beech trees here surrounds a granite outdoor classroom and gathering place where you can contemplate how the beech trees will look in 3, 5, and 10 years!

4. Eastside Azalea Collection

Despite the native azalea holding the title of Georgia’s State Wildflower, it is underused in the landscape. The Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum is now home to the largest public native azalea collection in the Atlanta Area with over 300 azaleas on display. The collection highlights over 25 species, cultivars, and varieties, and is home to all 13 azaleas native to the state of Georgia. This collection focuses on named cultivars (varieties that have been selected for depending on color, size, bloom time, etc.) within two series called the Georgia Moon Series and the Sunrise to Sunset Series. The Georgia Moon Series will have fragrant white-blooming Georgia native species, and the Sunrise to Sunset Series will be comprised of Georgia native species in warm orange, reds, and soft yellows blooming from March – July.

5. Stumpery Garden

The Stumpery Garden is a horticultural oddity, serving as a public place for learning and exploration and demonstrating how trees can be utilized in a beautiful way. Stumpery gardens utilize dead, fallen, and storm-damaged trees as an asset to the garden – providing critical habitat for beetles, frogs, birds, and small mammals such as chipmunks. Whole logs are placed upside down to display their root structure, and logs, branches, and pieces of bark are arranged to form walls and archways. Plants such as ferns, lichen, mosses, soft grasses, and trailing plants are encouraged to grow on and around them.

Take a virtual tour of the Stumpery Garden here.

6. Westside Azalea Collection

Different from the Eastside collection, the Westside collection has all straight species and natural varieties that encourage free hybridization. These azaleas are all grown from seed so there are many variations in the hues even between the same species.

7. Persimmon Woods

Home to the largest American persimmon tree in the state of Georgia, this remnant old growth forest on 1.3 acres provides habitat to a variety of deep forest flora. Walking through a nature trail and over a few bridges will bring you up close and personal with woodland groundcovers, rare spring ephemerals (plants with a short life cycle) such as trillium, and a large collection of native woody species. Enjoy the seasonal blooms, learn from plant identification signs, and get hands-on with volunteer opportunities to plant, divide woodland perennials, and collect seed.

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