Plantlanta is Trees Atlanta’s annual citywide tree planting project. An impressive goal of 800 trees will be planted in two days, Friday and Saturday, November 5-6, 2021, at sites across all 12 City Council Districts in the City of Atlanta. 

This year is the 6th annual Plantlanta organized by Trees Atlanta, and the project site for each City Council District are listed below. Volunteers are encourage to register for specific planting locations. 

Friday, Nov. 5

• Peachtree Hills at Peachtree Park Apartments (District 7)

• Blair Villa/Poole Creek at Harper Park (District 12)

Saturday, Nov. 6

• Chosewood at Chosewood Park (District 1)https://www.treesatlanta.org/plantlanta/

• Poncey-Highland at Freedom Park/John Lewis Flowering Forest (District 2)

• Bankhead at Azalea Gardens (District 3)

• Cascade Avenue (Districts 4 & 11)

• Kirkwood (District 5)https://www.treesatlanta.org/plantlanta/

• Morningside at N. Morningside Road (District 6)

• Woodfield/Brandon at Atlanta Memorial Park (District 8)

• West Highlands at Perry Blvd (District 9)

• Adamsville at Fairburn-Gordon Apartments (District 10)

Protecting Atlanta's Watersheds

The neighborhoods are significant due to their position in critical watersheds in Atlanta, especially sites near impaired waterways. Impaired waterways are bodies of water that are too polluted or otherwise degraded to meet standards set by local, state, or federal agencies. 

A major contributing factor to stream impairment is the amount of hard surfaces that cover the land which drains into a creek or stream, for example. Rainfall falling on paved surfaces can wash surface and air pollutants into waterways. An effective mitigator is dense tree canopy. Trees are able to slow the impact and volume of runoff caused by heavy rain events. Tree canopy also captures particulate matter, and more water can be absorbed into the ground where trees grow. Thus, more trees means less burden on storm water drains and creeks and more benefits for people who live near them. 

Each Plantlanta project site will be planted with 40 to 150 trees along neighborhood streets and parks. To achieve this ambitious goal, over 500 volunteers will be needed across the city. Residents who live in or near the planting sites are highly encouraged to sign up to volunteer. Volunteers from across metro Atlanta, as well as employee groups, community leaders, and Atlanta City Council Members will also be a part of making Plantlanta a success. 

Trees are Valuable Natural Assets
 

There are many benefits of trees. Trees Atlanta makes it a high priority to ensure that neighborhoods across Atlanta have access to abundant tree canopy. Each year, Plantlanta helps us to bring attention to diverse neighborhoods and the tree needs in a variety of communities. 

While every school child knows that trees give us oxygen, not everyone fully appreciates the critical role trees play in urban settings as our “natural infrastructure.” The network of trees, waterways, and greenspaces throughout Atlanta are powerful natural assets that directly work along built infrastructure. What this means is that trees can assist storm water systems by capturing and slowing down rainfall, reduce energy use by providing cooling shade, and even lower health care burdens by lowering triggers for chronic lung and heart related problems. 

Our city, like our environment, is an interconnected system in which trees, water, soil, roads, buildings, animals, and people all affect and are affected by each other. Our urban ecosystem is a constant balance of built and natural environments. Let’s continue to work together to plant more trees and increase awareness and action to protect our beautiful — and powerful — urban canopy. 

Visit the Plantlanta project page for more information and register to volunteer: treesatlanta.org/plantlanta. For other ways for you to help protect and improve our urban forest, share this article on your favorite social media platform or donate to support Trees Atlanta.