May 4, 2024

This Week's Tour...

...met at 9:00AM Saturday in front of Inman Perc coffeeshop (240 North Highland Ave NE). We walked for 1 1/2 hours, covering 1 mile of the Beltline, ending at Ponce City Market.

"The Tourists"...
A rainy day and a hardy soul! Perfect Trees Atlanta docent candidate!

Thanks for a great tour!

Tree of the week...
...is the Eastern Cottonwood. This older specimen wasn't planted by Trees Atlanta; it found ideal growing conditions in the wet soil near Freedom Parkway:

"It needs bare soil and full sun for successful germination and establishment; in natural conditions, it usually grows near rivers, with mud banks left after floods providing ideal conditions for seedling germination; human soil cultivation has allowed it to increase its range away from such habitats."

We happened on it right during "seed" season:

"...A single tree may release 40 million seeds a season."

Eastern Cottonwood in full, billowy bloom

 Populus deltoides

April 13, 2024

 This Week's Tour...

...met at 9:00AM Saturday on the Beltline Eastside Trail near Parish (R.I.P...soon to reopen as "Painted Park"!). We walked for 1 1/2 hours, covering 1 mile of the Beltline, ending at Ponce City Market.

"The Tourists"...
What a great group! Long time Atlanta resident and recent landscape architecture grad!

Thanks for a great tour!

Tree of the week...
...is the Chinese Fringe Tree...planted along the section of the Beltline as a display of the theme "Peace", so chosen as it roughly connects the King Center/Auburn Ave and the Carter Center, both places where Nobel Peace Prizes can be viewed (making Atlanta the only city in the world where 2 Nobel Peace Prizes are on permanent display!)

Chinese Fringe Tree

 Chionanthus retusus

"Stump" of the week...
...featuring a question raised during the tour that Jeff couldn't answer.

Beltline Before and After

Q: How does this Tax Allocation District (TAD) that funds the Beltline work?

A: The original TAD funding the Atlanta Beltline was for 25 years and is set to run-out in 2030. Lots more details and description (including of the SSD created for additional funding) found here.