Tree Care | Trees Atlanta

It takes a village (or at least a really great crew) to care for all of our trees!

Once a tree is planted and the roots have taken hold, there is still plenty of work to be done. The Trees Atlanta Urban Forestry Crew tackles the thankless tasks of watering, mulching, pruning, weeding, and generally caring for the newly planted trees that are part of the Trees Atlanta programs. Their year-round dedication is essential to the fulfillment of the Trees Atlanta mission.

Tree Care Request

Do you see a Trees Atlanta tree that is in need of care? Submit a tree care request and we will come by and take a look!

Submit a Tree Care Request

Atlanta is a study in climate extremes, featuring four distinct seasons: brutally hot summers, bone chilling winters, and everything in between. Newly planted trees require regular maintenance and proper care to ensure they are able to thrive in these varied conditions. Enter, the Trees Atlanta Urban Forestry Crew, which handles the tough task of maintaining these plantings.

The Urban Forestry Crew consisting of six crews and between fifteen and forty people. These hard-working individuals maintain two years’ worth of plantings each year, and are responsible for planting, watering, mulching, weeding, pruning, treatments, and sometimes even staking trees. Undoubtedly, you have seen these folks around town, decked out in their bright green shirts and possessing a tree-loving demeanor that is contagious!

The Urban Forestry Crew provides:

Groundwork – watering, weeding, mulching and invasives removal
Installation – selecting planting sites and appropriate species
Pruning – structural shaping of limbs
Pest Management – pathogen diagnosis, prescription and treatment
Coordination with City of Atlanta Services – arranging extra-contractual care
Community Relations – interacting with community groups and contractors
Equipment and Facilities – maintaining fleet vehicles and field equipment
Employee Education – keeping employees up-to-date with Tree Health Care best practices
Volunteer Management – recruit and manage volunteers
Reporting – building tree database and maintaining inventory
Schedule of Care – tracking inventory, monitoring and treating needs
Tree Health Care – service and care for trees installed by Trees Atlanta

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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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